before the regulators actually say you have to follow these rules. we will see. of thecott patterson wall street peaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., december 3, 2013. i hereby appoint the honorable doug lamalfa to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 3, 2013, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour ebate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip but in o five minutes

no event shall debate continue eyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. congress returns for the final days of this year's session facing the same conundrum. people here and back home are divided over the direction of our government. they don't agree on how to fund what a growing and aging america needs. a year ago we were engaged in a vigorous debate on taxation. then, more recently we survived the controversies surrounding the government shutdown, and we still are at logger heads. there are strong feelings by some now is not the time to raise taxes, yet the house budget cannot produce spending

bills from the appropriations committee that can actually pass on the house floor. in some cases, they appear to not even be able to pass from subcommittee. all the while we're looking at a sea of unmet needs and face a floundering economy. there is one area that can help break the logjam, not solve all our problems, certainly, but help us significantly along the way. congress should address the critical needs of our nation's infrastructure deficit. roads, bridges, transit systems are all increasingly at risk. we are facing an inadequate state of repair, construction of new facilities are on hold and we are losing ground in meeting our own needs, let alone the challenges of global competition. yet, this challenge is an opportunity for some potential progress. we know what to do to meet this

challenge. we can write a new transportation bill that will meet today's needs. it just needs more money. there is a vast coalition that supports additional resources for infrastructure. the so-called special interests that are so often at odds are remarkably aligned when it comes time to recognize and fix this problem. business, labor, professional groups, local government, environmentalists, truckers, bicyclists all agree. the paralysis that surrounds questions of raising taxes does not necessarily need to apply in this case. ronald reagan, after all, was willing to sign into law a five cent gasoline tax increase 31 years ago when a nickel a gallon was real money. a user fee is in fact a different category from a general tax increase. the various groups that score

such votes treat user fees differently. as we are attempting to resolve budget differences, there's an opportunity to embrace more transportation resources through user fee mechanisms that will have broad national support and not inspire the same fierce philosophical debate that's plagued and paralyzed our deliberations for years. it has the added benefit of being the fastest way to put hundreds of thousands of people to work at family wage jobs to help boost our flagging economy. i strongly urge my colleagues to take a step back and look at this as a way to crack the code, to meet vast unmet needs of our constituents and stabilize a critical part of our budget. who knows? if we can find a way to thread this particular transportation funding needle, how many

additional opportunities are there to solve problems going forward if we can address them? this is what it -- i think what it takes, simply some vision and courage. that is why people sent us here in the first place. congress should act, demonstrating leadership to put people to work, make our families safer, healthier and ore economically secure. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. jones, for five minutes. mr. jones: mr. speaker, during the thanksgiving break, i wrote a letter to president obama, which i like to ask unanimous consent to submit for the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. jones: the letter respectfully reminded the president that president karzai continues to thumb his nose in the eyes of the american taxpayer. we have seen many news articles

reporting karzai refusal to sign bilateral strategic agreement that this administration has proposed, an agreement that would obligate united states money and united states troops for at least 10 more years in afghanistan. in an associated press article printed in my state paper tiled "afghanistan president delays deal," the subtitle goes on to read, "u.s. says it will pull out troops if security agreement isn't signed." mr. speaker, it is my hope that the house will encourage the president to pull our troops out and stop spending money we do not have in a country that does not even want our help. furthermore, it's my hope that the house and senate leadership will in 2014 allow congress to vote on this issue of the bilateral strategic agreement. mr. speaker, it is wrong that the afghan parliament may vote on whether they want this agreement with the united

states, but the house and the senate that represent the american people can't even have a debate and to vote on the will of the american people. and i know that the american people want this debate to take place. so hopefully in 2014 the leadership of the house will at least let us have this debate on the floor of the house. mr. speaker, if you could have traveled with me during the break last week you would have heard many, many people in the third district of north carolina who said to me they are outraged that we will continue spending money in afghanistan at a time when we have so many financial needs at home. it is absolutely unacceptable that a single american would give his life or limb overseas without the approval of congress. it is absolutely unacceptable that the american taxpayer would give money to a corrupt regime while young and old alike go hungry here in the united states. mr. speaker, i'd like to say to the president, pull the troops out and bring them home now. there's not one thing history

says we will ever change in afghanistan. nothing history says will change in afghanistan. it is time to end the senseless waste of american lives and american money in afghanistan. mr. speaker, this poster beside in the greensboro newspaper where mr. mcgovernor and i wrote a litter -- mr. mcgovern and i wrote a letter that said to pull the troops out. february 27 of 2011. that's three years ago. we're still there and we're talking about 10 more years. let congress debate. let congress speak. let congress vote the will of the american people. with that, mr. speaker, i will yield back the balance of my time by asking god to please bless our men and women in uniform and to bless their families and please, god, continue to bless america. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. schiff, for five minutes. mr. schiff: mr. speaker, as

winter descends upon the middle east, the plight of syria's people who have endured nearly three years of savage civil war grows more desperate with each passing day. fighting rages on throughout much of the country and with the government forces making headway in recent months, many of the rebel groups have splintered, turning on each other. it is civilians, especially children, who have borne much of the suffering. more than nine million syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance and a quarter of these, 2.2 million have fled the country mostly to neighboring lebanon, jordan and turkey. half of those refugees, more than a million people, are children. another 6.5 million syrians are internally displaced, having fled their homes but remaining inside the country often in parts of syria that have changed hands on multiple occasions and with civilian suffering. while all of syria's people have been affected by the fighting, it is christians who make up about 10% of the country's population who are at

greatest risk, given their small numbers and the increasingly religious nature of a war that started out as a broad-based secular movement that sought to change the character of the syrian regime but not the regime itself. for two millennia, syria has been home to two of the oldest christian communities in the world. smaller numbers of catholics and protestants. syria's christians have been comfortably and fully integrated into the economic, political of modern syria and despite their small numbers are well represented among the country's elite. tragically, this coexistens have been shattered and nearly one in four christians have fled the country since the fighting began. like minorities the world over, syrian christians have tried to avoid get be dragged in the fighting that has gripped their homeland. with their two population centers having seen the most

savage fighting in the war, christians have been unable to avoid being drawn into the conflict. while the uprising against the syrian president did not start out as a sectarian conflict, it has increasingly taken on a religious tone as many of the rebels have wrapped themselves in the mantle of fundamentalist islam. initially, the free syrian army distanced themselves from the more rebel factions, some linked to al qaeda, but they have adopted islammist tone in recent months. this has exacerbated the plight of the christians who are targeted simply because they are christian and because they are seen by many muslims as having backed the government. the truth is that syrian christians, many of whom have american families, did not rally to the regime. syrian christians, like most other syrians, simply wanted a freer, more open society and a greater voice in their own government. it is a testament to the depth of christian desperation that

atrocities perpetrated by radical islammists have done more to test christian neutrality than the use of chemical war crimes by the assad regime. ending the war represents the best prospect for peace, and the international community must insist that any agreement reached at the upcoming peace talks in geneva or thereafter will guarantee the safety of syria's minority populations. in the meantime, america can do more to help those seeking refuge. that's why i've been working for much of the past year to convince the administration to allow humanitarian parole for the nearly 6,000 syrians with approved immigrant petitions to the united states. as hundreds of millions around the world prepare to celebrate the most joyful day of the christian calendar, the international community must intensify its efforts to end this terrible war and also to protect syria's christians and to ensure the continued vitality of this 2,000-year-old

community. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, for five minutes. mr. speaker, the innovativeness of american enterprise flies off the radar. according to amazon c.e.o., the company is fixing to deliver packages to its customers via drones. it's called amazon prime air. that's right. in just a few years, he says people will be able to order something online and have it in their hands within 30 minutes by the use of drones. sounds like something out of the "jetsons" doesn't it? soon there will be a drone to replace the mail carrier. according to amazon, these packages will deliver up to five pounds. mr. speaker, thousands of americans use amazon every

year, especially around the holiday season. amazon, unlike the glitch-ridden government websites, can efficiently use online services that get a timely product to market. think of how many drones could soon be flying around the sky. here a drone, there a drone. everywhere a drone in the united states. mr. speaker, amazon is one of many companies that looking to use this cost-effective drone technology in the coming years. good for amazon. i congratulate them. the f.a.a. is charged with the responsibility of coming up with ways to regulate drones for safety reasons. but who's watching out for the privacy of american citizens? congress has the responsibility and the duty to set clear regulations for all drones in domestic use. absent legislation to prevent surveillance of americans, companies could use drones not only for delivery but other

ways that in my opinion violate the constitutional right of privacy. the issue of concern, mr. speaker, is surveillance, not the delivery of packages. that includes surveillance of someone's back yard, snooping around with a drone, checking out a person's patio to see if that individual could buy or needs a new patio furniture from the company, photographing swing sets, pools or the people that are in the pools or even looking into windows, all of that could be done with the use of drones by corporate america or by individuals. this could all be possible. so congress must ensure that the expanded use of drones in the coming years does not come at the expense of the individual right of privacy. this is a right guaranteed to all americans in the fourth amendment. that's why i have along with representative zoe lofgren

introduced the bipartisan preserving american privacy act. our bill would deal with several things. once again, mr. speaker, we are talking about regulating surveil -- surveillance and set guidelines for the expectation of privacy for citizens. it would first of all deal with the government. it would prohibit the government from using droughns for targeted surveillance of an individual or their property without a search warrant. the fourth amendment applies to the use of drones when the government is involved. but it would also prohibit individuals or companies from using dones -- drones to take photographs or audio recordings of private individuals without their consent. this is private surveillance or spying or snooping, whatever you want it call it. it would restrict private individuals and law enforcement agencies from arming drones, which can be done. as we enter this unchartered

world of drone technology, congress must be proactive and establish boundaries for drone use that safeguard the constitutional rights of americans and not leave this up to the f.a.a. individuals are somewhat concerned with these new eyes in the skies may threaten their prifecy. congress can and should immediately balance this high-tech development with our constitutional right of prifecy. -- privacy. boundaries are needed before drones flood the dies of america. just because big brother or individual or companies can look in someone's backyard or through a window of a house doesn't mean it should be allowed. as the innovativeness of america's enterprise flies off the radar we should be mindful that technology may change but the constitution does not. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, for five minutes. mr. mcgovern: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my

remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcgovern: i want to welcome all of my colleagues back from their thanksgiving holiday and i trust that like me everybody had a great thanksgiving along with a wonderful meal. but i'm here today to remind my colleagues so that they don't forget that for millions of our fellow citizens they were without a thanksgiving dinner. in fact, for millions of our fellow citizens, they go without meals on a regular basis. men, women, and children, close to 50 million americans go hungry in our country. the richest country in the history of the world. it's a national scandal and something that we need to do something about. mr. speaker, the supplemental nutrition assistance program, otherwise known as snap, helps struggling families put food on the table. it's a good program that sadly has come under attack by some, not all, but by some of my republican friends. and for the life of me i can't understand why.

the average snap benefit is about $1.40 per meal. the no child -- the no kid hungry campaign launched by the group, share our strength, recently did a chart which shows that the average cost of one thanksgiving dinner is about $49.04. that's equal to about 35 snap meals. and the fact is that our food banks are at capacity. i went to a thanksgiving dinner sponsored by my bishop that was filled with people looking for food. that same -- that same group run by the catholic charities delivered well over 1,000 meals to people in my community on that one thanksgiving day. but the notion that somehow charity can do it all, or that food banks can do it all, or that churches or synagogues or mosques can do it all is just

wrong. i would urge my colleagues to visit a food bank, to visit a food pantry. talk to the people who run those organizations and let them inform you of who is showing up at their door steps. talk to the people who go to these food banks. these are average people, many of them are working families, who earn so little that they still qualify for the snap benefit. the white house released a report over the thanksgiving holiday faulking about -- talking about the importance of the nutrition assistance program. the report highlights among other things that in 2012 snap kept nearly five million people out of poverty. snap reduced child poverty by 3.0% in 2012. the largest child poverty impact of any safety net program other than refundable tax credits. the program benefits -- program benefits are targeted to those most in need and designed to

support work. the large majority of snap participants are children. the elderly, or people with disibilities. and about 95% of federal spending on snap goes directly to subsidizing the food purchases of eligible households. it is one of the most efficiently run federal programs . i wish the department of defense was run as efficiently as this. our deficit would be much lower. but among snap households with at least one working age nondisabled adult, more than half work. more than half work. and more than 80% work in the year before or after receiving snap. now, the legislation that the house republican leadership rammed through this congress and is now part of a negotiation on the farm bill, would cut the program by close to $40 billion. that would result in nearly four million americans losing access to snap next year, including working families with children, seniors, and veterans.

nearly 170,000 veterans would lose their benefits. in addition, 210,000 children and these families would also lose free school meals. these cuts would come on top of the significant benefit reduction already experienced by all snap recipients as a result of the american recovery act moneys running out. and i would say to my colleagues that cut that went into effect on november 1 means is that the average family of four would see a reduction of about $36 per month in their snap benefit. we are talking about food. we are talking about making sure in the richest country in the history of the world that nobody goes hungry. and i know that these are tough budgetary times, but if you want to find ways to save money, i would suggest we listen to my colleague, mr. jones of north carolina, and get the hell out of afghanistan. stop supporting one of the most corrupt regimes on this planet today, the karzai regime. take those millions and those billions and reinvest it here at

home. we endt it in a way that hunger now. mr. speaker, for millions of our citizens who are hungry, what they worry about and what they fear not halfway around the world, it is halfway down the block. and we ought to make sure we get a farm bill that does not make hunger worse in this country, and if we have a farm bill that cuts snap significantly, i would urge all my colleagues to not only vote against it but fight against t we can do better. let's get a farm bill but not make hunger worse. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. shimkus, for five minutes. mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to condemn the resent actions taken by the -- recent actions taken by the ukrainian government on its own citizens. a couple weeks ago i stood hopeful urging their government to look wesward as they entered the summit in lithuania. while georgia and moldavia have

forward forward in signing association agreements with the european union, the government of ukraine failed to sign this agreement. this move is disappointing, even more so for the ukranian zints who long for a closer tie with europe. due to the president's lack of action, ukranians have taken to the street in protests and have been met with extreme brutality. i join with the state department in urging the ukranian government to respect the rights of its people and allow freedom of expression and assembly. ukraine should not bully or take violent action if they desire to be peaceful and a democratic nation. i will continue to support the citizens of ukraine as they pursue democracy and freedom in their country. it is my wish that ukraine will seek other means of integration with europe and not fall to demand and pressure from russia. it is time to look to the future not to the soviet-style rule that has plagued their past for countless years.

with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from ohio, ms. kaptur, for five minutes. ms. kaptur: i thank the speaker. mr. speaker, it has been reported that j.p. morgan chase has agreed to a $13 billion settlement of the civil suit filed by the united states department of justice and the federal housing financing agency in order to resolve several investigations into their mortgage securities finagling. j.p. morgan and its affiliates knowingly misrepresented the value and quality of their mortgage bonds that had sold to the housing finance agency. compared to the trillions that wall street banks have extracted in home equity from the american people, a $13 billion settlement with jp morgan chase doesn't come close to repaying the american people what they are owed back. more cases need to be filed to meet -- meat out justice and

re-- mete out justice and recoup what has been taken. $4 billion will be for the federal housing agency which will go to fannie mae and freddie mac. how that filters down to the street, to the ordinary homeowner we can't predict. $2 billion will be credited through j.p. morgan's reduction of principal on mortgages in areas hardest hit by foreclosures like detroit and cities like cleveland and toledo in ohio. j.p. morgan chase currently holds, get this, nearly a million mortgages. 208,000 mortgages considered seriously delinquent and in excess of 700,000 which are under water. that's too much power over our marketplace in too few hands. 500 million of the settlement will be credited for the removal of blight from neighborhoods through demolition reducing interest rates and offering new loans to low income borrowers. every community in america could use some of that. that's very little money for a very big hole. this setment may appear like a

big step. it's a small step in the right direction. however let me put these figures on the record. last year j.p. morgan chase made $21.3 billion in profits. that doesn't count what's in their reserves. a settlement of $13 billion therefore is barely half of what j.p. morgan made in all of last year after expenses. in fact, this setment of $13 billion is equal to exactly half of what they had already setaside, $26 billion, for legal fees since 2010. by the way they make that money by charging all of us. moreover, the settlement will also be largely tax deductible for the bank as well. although the tax law does not allow fines or penalties paid to the federal government to be tax deductible, that only accounts for $2 billion of the settlement that the bank has to pay in civil penalties to settle their legal claims. that leaves $7 billion in compensatory damages that the bank could claim, guess what?

intact deductionibility. imagine that. this greatly reduces the impact this settlement has on correcting their bad behavior and mitigating for damages it has to pay in the lawsuit. imagine if homeowners were allowed to deduct the damages they have incurred as a result of wall street's misbehavior. here are some figures to ponder. over the last couple years, the c.e.o. of j.p. morgan has taken home anywhere from $23 million plus bonuses plus stock options on an annual basis. mary, their c.e.o. of their asset managed division last year was paid $15 million plus $5 million in bonuses, bonuses, this is before they settled all of these mortgages that they hold of the american -- belonging to the american people. matthew, their co-chief c.e.o. they call him, $17 million plus $6 million in bonuses. daniel pinto, $17 million in

salary alone, plus $8 million in bonuses. not counting all their stock options. cars, all the things that they are given. the american people are really sick of this. they really want justice. we need more cases filed. congress should reinstate the glass-steagall act by passing h.r. 129, the return to prudent banking act of 2013, to ensure that what caused the financial crisis, too much power in too few hands, the power to create money, irresponsibly, so our country no longer has to endure this kind of collapse because of the mistakes that they made. mr. speaker, i think it's time for community after community to take a look at those legal cases that have been successful in extracting repayment to communities and to families across our country, our u.s. attorneys, our housing organizations across this country, those attorney generals

who are awake in our 50 states. we need to go after the source, the source that created the collapse that our communities are still suffering from. to hold them accountable for the mortgages they still hold and to recoup to millions and millions of our people the home equity that was taken from them so cruelly. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. hall, for five minutes. mr. hall: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the floor for five minutes and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hall: i address a subject that republicans and democrats agree on, several of the previous speakers have done so and that's the idea of freedom for this country. but i rise today to pay special attention to and give contribute to our nation's world war ii great war heroes measure -- murphy.

turned away due to his young age. he misrepresented his age to serve his country. the patriotism and his unusual courage in battle led him to distinction as the most decorated combat soldier of world war ii, earning every u.s. military combat award for valor available from the united states army, including the medal of honor, two silver stars, three purple hearts and the distinguished service cross. it's therefore fitting, though belated, that major murphy was awarded texas highest military honor on october 29, 2013. major murphy earned his first medal of honor on january 26, 1945, in france. six tanks and waves of nazi infantry attacked his company b

but lieutenant murphy remained at his command post throughout the fighting. although he suffered a leg wound, he fought for an hour until his ammunition was done. he did not stop wishes and did not stop battling when most men would have on the battlefield and fighting for his own life and the life of his country. in fact, he lived out the remainder of his years as an accredited actor, writer and songwriter. mr. speaker, despite this prestige, it should ble noted that he was also -- be noted that he was a modest man saying he was just another man, unquote. he thought not because he loved war but because he loved the values and freedoms we enjoy in america. he felt compelled to do his deputey. he represents some of the greatest qualities of hero, including an unfailing selling sens of duty, a strong sense of patriotism and a degree of modesty that represents the humble roots of this great country. we remember him because of his

outstanding feats but also because he remains perhaps one of the truest examples of what it means for american. i was proud to ride in many veteran parades with him. i also met his sisters. he was always loyal to his family and found time for him. as a representative of the fourth district of texas, i'm proud to call his home my home as well. the folks in the fourth district were pleased that the great state of texas has given major murphy due recognition for his outstanding service to this country by awarding him the texas legislature award of honor. honor this great hero and thank him and his family for service. i yield back and i thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan, mr. kildee, for five minutes. mr. ldee: thank you, speaker. it was just about a year ago right now that i and 84 other

new members of congress arrived in washington to begin our orientation and the process of joining this body. and we, i think, democrats and republicans of that class of 2012, received, though we come from different perspectives and different districts, we received a pretty strong message from the electorate in 2012. it was the same message that i think many of us heard when we were back home last week for our thanksgiving break. e message was, set aside the hyperpartisanship and get about the business of attending to the work of the american people. and so now as we face yet nother set of self-inflicted wounds, political deadlines that have been set, we hear some rumblings that we may not do what we committed to do just

a few weeks ago and that is put together a real budget that is the reflection of the values and the interests and the needs of the american people. we've already gone through one government shutdown in just this last year, which cost the american economy $24 billion. we cannot afford to let that happen again, and we cannot afford another short-term deal that does not provide the stability and the certainty that the private sector needs in order to make the kind of investments that will put the american people back to work and get our economy moving again. i am glad that there finally was agreement to go to conference on a budget, and many of us took that agreement at face value. we took the members who agreed to that and the leadership at their word, that it would be an effort to put together a budget

that is the reflection of the needs and values of the american people, a budget that will invest in our kids, that will give them the skills that they need in order to compete, that will vaft in infrastructure, that will help -- invest in infrastructure, that will help industry to deliver products to market and to grow the economy, that will invest in manufacturing by passing the make it in america plan, a plan of some 40 bills that would reinvigorate our manufacturing sector in this country. we can do it, we can do it without slashing important how ams simply in terms of we manage our budget. cut the big tax loopholes for big oil and corporations that pay virtually no taxes in this country. and for sure, mr. speaker, to end this mindless sequester, a scheme that was designed to be so bad that it would force the

two parties together around a more rational approach to making decisions for the american people. now nstead of that, it has been embraced by some in congress not as something to be avoided but as the starting point for the next round of cuts to the essential programs that we need in order to drive investment and grow our economy. we just cannot afford to continue down this path. according to the c.b.o., sequestration has already cost us jobs. up to 1.6 million americans are out of work or will be out of work because of these mindless cuts, and we're further cutting our safety net. programs like snap, unemployment, those things that we need in order to make sure hat we have a floor of decency

which no america should be allowed to fall in the world's most biggest, powerful democracy and economy. it's unacceptable. these cuts also hurt our future by slashing key investment in research at the n.i.h., trying to crack the code and solve some of the most difficult problems that we have in the diseases that so many americans are struggling with. yet, we set aside that investment in the name of partisan politics. we've got to get back to work. we've got to get back to the work that we were sent here to do, because i think the 85 of us that came in last year at this time are not really that much different than the rest of the members of this house. we were all sent here with that charge to get the business of the american people done, but

somewhere along the way partisanship has overcome democracy. we need to set aside this hyperpartisanship, get back to the business we were sent here to do and do the work of the american people. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. kildee: pass a budget. i'm calling on my colleagues to do that and to not be drawn into what could be another partisan squabble for political purposes. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman's time has expired. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson, for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to honor eric cowden, a resident of pennsylvania's first, pennsylvania, a constituent of mine. a graduate of penn state university was recognized by the national future farmers of america with the organization's highest honor, the f.a.a. honorary american degree. as a youngster growing up on the family farm in washington

county, pennsylvania, eric was involved with the f.a.a. like many students in rural communities, showing steers, hefers and lambs from a young age. upon graduating from penn state with a degree in agricultural sciences and earning his masters in business from delaware valley college, eric went to work for the pennsylvania department of agriculture. there he administered the rural youth grant program, led the county fair and agri tourism division and director for the central office in that department. he holds several leadership roles in the marcellus shale coalition, bringing together the two most important industries, energy and agriculture. eric is well deserving of this honor and we thank him for his leadership in the field of agriculture and agricultural education. thank you, mr. speaker and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. waxman, for five minutes.

mr. waxman: thank you very much, mr. speaker. on february 15, a small group of democratic members of the house joined together to form the safe climate caucus. we vowed to come to the house every day to talk about the defining environmental challenge of our time, climate change. today marks the 100th day we have spoken on the house floor. the safe climate caucus is composed of representatives from across this country. we come from the west coast, the east coast, the north and the south and the midwest. we come from coastal regions, urban areas and rural communities. we represent a cross-section of america. we started the safe climate caucus because of the enormous disconnect that exists between what scientists are telling us

about the dangers of climate change and the conspiracy of silence and denial that exists in this house. there is a mountain of evidence that climate change is real and a dangerous threat to the ture of our children and grandchildren, yet, this body refuses to accept scientific reality. i wish my republican colleagues would open their eyes and escape their congressional congressional bubble. firefighters across the west getting -- fires are bigger and dangerous. farmers in the midwest know that droughts and floods are becoming more common and more intense. coastal communities know that rising sea levels and extreme storms threaten their very existence, and just last month, a supertyphoon, perhaps the

strongest ever recorded, demolished entire cities in the philippines. heat waves, droughts, flooding, wildfires, pests, that is what climate change looks like. so what is this house doing? denying, obstructing and weakening the clean air act. in june, the international energy agency warned that if we don't act now, avoiding catastrophic climate change will cost trillions of dollars. in october, the intergovernmental panel on climate change concluded that the evidence that the earth is warming is unequivocal. this is the same level of confidence that scientists have that smoking causes cancer. last month, the world

meterological association reported that levels of heat trapping gases in the atmosphere set new records, reaching concentrations higher than any in the last 800,000 years. yet, this house ignores it all. we challenge the republicans on the energy and commerce committee to come to the floor and debate us, defend their record of inaction. they never showed up. the committee won't even hold a hearing to listen to the scientists. democrats are in the minority so we can't call hearings, but we won't be muzzled. since february, the members of the safe climate caucus reported on the alarms that the scientists are sounding. in fact, today marks the 100th legislative day that members from the safe climate caucus

have spoken out. except during the republican shutdown of the government, our members have come to the floor every day we have been in session. it has not always been easy to keep this streak of speeches alive, but we have come because of the commitment of our 31 members to take action before it is too late. we are speaking out because we have a duty to our neighbors, to our children and our grandchildren. we know when future generations look back at these times, they won't remember the debates we had on the deficit, they won't remember the debates we've had on boosting oil drilling. what they will want to know is whether we acted to protect the world from catastrophic climate change while we still had time. . they will want to know whether we made the investments we need

to make the united states the world leader in the clean energy technologies of the future. we are at a critical juncture, and i urge all members to join with the safe climate caucus in insuring we make the right choices for our future and four our economy. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from tennessee, mrs. black, for five minutes. mrs. black: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, since obamacare implementation began on october 1, the president has spent much f his time talking about the malfunctioning website. however, i would remind the president of his own words several weeks ago. obamacare is more than just a website. the website was supposed to be the easy part. and the more people sign on to it, they will be made aware of the real problems with obamacare. in fact, when the millions of americans currently losing their

health care plans try to log on will be care.gov, they met with drastically increased emiums, skyrocketing out-of-pocket cost, and reduced access to the doctors and hospitals they know. these problems are in direct contrast to the repeated promises made by the president. my constituents are rightly concerned with these broken promises and they are regularly contacting me and my office to voice their concerns. for instance, gillian in sparta, tennessee, wrote to me, and i quote, every year in the past my health care insurance has increased by small percentages. sometimes 5%, sometimes by 7%. this past week i received my new premiums for 2014. hey increased by 250%. same plan, same coverage, same

insurance company, she said. and gillian isn't alone. nearly three times as many americans say they have been hurt rather than helped by the obamacare. according to a recent poll. this from a law that the president promised would lower insurance premiums by as much as $2,500. mr. speaker, obamacare is much more than a website. it's an unmitigated disaster. the effects of this law are wreaking had a vojislav kostunica on -- reeking had a -- wreaking havoc on our health care system. my house republican colleagues and i have tried repeatedly to protect americans from this law. the only way to do so is for democrats to join us. for instance, the senate can act right now to pass the fairness for american families act that was passed out of the house this

summer. this legislation would give fairness under obamacare by delaying the law's mandate for people not just businesses. the president may be all in on his health care law, but that doesn't mean the congressional democrats need to follow him off of the cliff. as disapproval of obamacare continues to rise, i ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to distance themselves from obamacare and join us by trying to protect the american people from this law's disastrous effect. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california, mrs. mccloud, for five minutes. mrs. mccloud upon permission to mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. as budget negotiations move

forward, congress must remain committed to work in a bipartisan manner to find reasonable solutions to create jobs exexpand the economy, and strengthen the middle class. while continuing to reduce the deficit in a responsible way. mrs. negrete mcleod: to do so congress must lift the sequester cuts that are inflicting damage to communities across the nation. there is no question we need to cut the deficit, but we should do so without cutting programs that seniors, veterans, small business owners, students, and our children rely on. in california it is estimated that with sequestration more than 15,000 children will not receive vaccinations for diseases such as measles, whooping could have -- cough, and influenza, 8,200 children will be eliminated from federally funded early childhood education programs such as head start. this is unacceptable and congress must fix it.

after the extensive damage done by the government shutdown that cost the economy, according to an an sestment by standard & poor's, $25 billion, we must avoid another shutdown and another crisis by passing a budget that does away with sequestration. americans cannot afford budget policies that weakens our economy, squeezes the middle class, and costs hundreds of thousands of jobs. congress needs to come to a compromise in a real spending plan that will increase revenue rather than slashing critical programs. congress needs to make sure that medicare and medicaid are protected and strengthened. mr. speaker, i stand ready to support a commonsense job creating budget, thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the entlelady yields back.

pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house >> 10 bills under consideration, including the band on the manufacture and sale of firearms not deductible by metal detectors. the band which had been reauthorized is set to expire next week december 10. lawmakers will also take up a number of land bills, several dealing with the aviation industry, including one that would require and tsa to spend all the loose change elected at airports. live house coverage when they return here on c-span. at the white house today, president obama is holding a meeting with the president of colombia. the two leaders will talk about the economy, and

trade relations. the white house says the president will highlight the benefits of the 2010 law as the sign up on the insurance exchanges enters into third month. live coverage of the president's on c-span 3.:30 we hear from republican leaders after the republican conference meeting this morning. good morning, everybody. republicans continue to stay focused on the economy. the american people want us to do everything we can to strengthen the economy so there are more jobs and higher wages available. this week we will take further steps to strengthen our economy. the president's health care law continues to wreak havoc on

, smalln families businesses, and our economy. it is not just a broken website. this bill was fundamentally flawed. causing people to lose the doctor of their choice, causing them to lose their health plan, and if that was not enough, they have to pay higher prices at the same time. so house republicans will continue to listen to our constituents and the american people and focus on protecting them from a fundamentally flawed law. good morning. last week, as middle-class families prepared for thanksgiving, the obama administration tried to hide another unilateral one-year delay of obamacare, just like in the right before independence day holiday, the administration tried to hide the delay of the business mandate. president obama and others have tried to hide what they knew about the website problems well

before the launch. the administration tries to continue to hide problem's on the back end of the website that delivers information and payments to insurers often as we now know incorrectly. to administration has tried hide the security problems that exist with the website that one official called limitless, prior to the website launch. the president and house democrats tried to hide for years that millions of americans would lose the coverage they like. the president and house democrats tried to hide for years that many americans would now lose access to the doctors, pediatricians, and perhaps even the hospitals they choose. at this point, one has to ask what else are they hiding? while the white house wants to claim healthcare.gov is now working, we know obamacare is still plagued with problems. every american deserves relief from it.

while this administration has to finally come clean and explain why and how americans are impacted by this law. this is not something that is helping americans. it is harming those that need help most right now. welcome back, we hope you all had time with your families. hearing from the leader about the different things that the president hit within passing this legislation, you all member the time it was passed late night on the weekend. by that time, there were democrats who were even there is about voting for it, so the administration put together a memo. a memo tohrough nervous democrats stating, when voters learn about the composition of the plant, support grows considerably. the plan has been passed. the plan is now into a process. people are learning more about it. we found from the gallup poll that just came out yesterday, it

tells a different story. those who are familiar with the health care law are significantly more likely to oppose and then not. so those who know about the law are more opposed to it than not. i think it goes to answer the question from the leader why we continue to hide things. the more america learns about this plan, the more they are opposed to it. that is why republicans continue to fight to have a patient- driven health care system, not a government-driven system. across america, working moms and dads are looking for deal so they can get something for their children that is special for the holidays. many parents are trying to pick up second and third jobs this holiday season, and they should not have to. if you look at who is working and who is not, this is the worst economy since the late

1970s. american families are struggling . they are struggling because of the uncertainty in washington, the uncertainty over a broken health care law, or can tax code, stagnant job growth, and more broken promises from this administration. washington must are working together to bring some economic security back to american families, to increase take-home pay for the hard-working families trying to make ends meet this holiday season. we are all glad to be back in washington after having a wonderful thanksgiving, being the kickoff to the holiday season. thanksgiving, hanukkah, christmas, new year's. you have to picture that hollywood look of mom and dad at the table and try to figure out what johnnie will get for christmas, except this year what

they are thinking, what will we do for christmas? they just got their cancellation from their insurance, or they cut the cost of the insurance next year. the promise was accessible, affordable insurance. affordable, we now see the numbers, only 10% will have a more affordable insurance cost. the real decisions made by real people, and they are very worried about it. on top of that, the aspect of the personal information going protected. your irs information, social security numbers. that is a difficult situation. anyone who has gone through identity theft knows that it is a bad situation. the security cost and the security concerns, cost increases, it hurts small businesses, businesses who are determined for their year on holiday purchases.

i never advocate for the federal government to be santa claus, i did not want us to be the grinch either. this is a serious situation. what is a patient-driven health care? alternative? a gop >> what you see is a government- centered health care system. that is not what the american people want. the american people want to be able to pick their own doctors and their own hospitals. that is when the patient- centered health care system looks like. >> is there a bill for that? will that be up for a vote? >> we will see. iswas the outline -- there

the farm bill and the budget bill. >> i want the farm bill conference to be completed. chairman lucas has made a number of good faith efforts. we had the same problem when he came to the budget conference. chairman ryan has done a good senate-- we cannot get democrats to say yes. it is time for the other chamber to get serious. >> this year is going down as the lease productive in congressional history. what can you and other leaders do to change that? house has continued to focus on the concerns of the american people. whether it is the economy or jobs, we have done our work. look at the number of bills passed by the house and the poultry number of bills passed

by the senate, you can see where the problem is. bills,ction on spending no action in the house on immigration. done more thans half of the appropriation bills. the senate has done none. the house has done its work on the national defense authorization bill. the senate has failed to act. both the house and the senate have to do their job. the house continues to do its job. to betime for the senate serious about doing there's. alsoe democratic caucus met. democratic leaders came out to speak to reporters for about 25 minutes.

morning. are we ready? >> yes. >> i am the chairman of the democratic caucus joined by joe crowley of new york and the cochair of our policy committee on the democratic side, rob andrews of new jersey. welcome backhed a to congress meeting with our members in the democratic caucus. a very well attended meeting which included a number of different subjects. the latest news on the implementation of the affordable care act, our health security law and the progress that has been made over the last months in getting the system to a point where all americans will have an opportunity to seek out and secure and many cases for the

first time quality, affordable health insurance which will forever keep them from having to worry about going bankrupt because they were taken their son or daughter to the hospital. that is good news. we were pleased to hear the report from the administration on where they have gone from the major improvements on access to the website for the marketplace to the new features that allow individuals to shop before they apply so they can see what is out there and they can go forward with the application if they like what they see. all of that is good news. we know there is a demand for affordable health care that keeps you secure, at home knowing you can go to your doctor or visit the hospital if necessary. we know there are members in the american community who will want to visit the website or phone call, the phone number, or visit

the so-called, counselors who help you apply for this care. yesterday we were told that over one million americans launch onto the website to shop again. this is after two months of trashing the website and two months of efforts by our colleagues on the republican side to dismantle the website. we know that americans are interested in guaranteeing themselves and their family members good quality, affordable health care. november was aat better month for applications for the health insurance policies under the marketplace than october. notches better but four -- not j ust better but four times

better. there is an increased attention to the activities on the website and increased interest in what is offered in insurance policies through the marketplace and we hope that continues. that was the purpose of the affordable care act. it is about keeping on task and continuing to build and to focus on our job. us is to make it work and to make sure every american has access to quality, affordable health care. the real task is getting america working the way it was before. putting americans to work. making sure that american businesses creating all the jobs that americans are hungry to apply for. we want to make sure congress gets to all its work. we are trying to fix it.

we are going to continue to work on building the opportunities for new jobs by making sure we are rebuilding our roads and fixing our schools and giving innovation a chance to open a new business -- giving an entrepreneur a chance to open a new business. i republican colleagues have focused so much attention and are obsessed in killing the affordable care act. they failed to focus on the real needs of americans and that is to get americans back to work, get the farm bill done, and deal with the budget in a way that makes sense to all americans. we hope we can get our republican colleagues to join us . we believe that every politician should be able to walk and chew gum.

we are ready and to make sure everybody in america has affordable health care and we pass copperheads of immigration reform -- and we pass comprehensive immigration reform. we want to make sure america is working. now i yield to joe crowley. >> we are all very pleased to hear the advancements with the website as it pertains to the affordable care act. it is about providing affordable care for millions of americans who have not had the opportunity to own their own insurance. we need to be -- i was talking about other issues, as well. my mother always said do not put off for tomorrow what you can get done today. our republican colleagues did not get that same message. we have a list -- jobs and

infrastructure, immigration reform, minimum wage, unemployment insurance, enda, we have the brady background check and other issues, as well. these are some of the issues we have yet to rectify and to solve and we only have eight days left before we end this legislative year. or less. failure to get it done. we should not settle for failure. we should be striving for success. these are not issues of the democratic caucus. americans,ssues of all americans. and their responsibility to get these done -- and we have a responsibility to get these done. i do not want to disappoint my mom. our republican colleagues

are paying attention to mama crowley. maddo not want mama crowley at them. do-be labeled as the most nothing congress in the history of the united states. that is what they have become. that is not a marker i would like to have on my mantel place. we as democrats will continue to encourage, cajole, do everything we can to move the agenda forward to address these critical issues of our country. jobs, infrastructure, immigration reform, and the list goes on. we have the ability to get these done if the republicans would set the agenda. one action in the caucus, to buy mrs. crowley

an amtrak ticket. thet six weeks ago, republicans realize the recklessness of the government shutdown and the harm it was doing to the country and came to an agreement with those of us who wanted it to end all along. the story became the real and difficult problems many americans were having signing up under the affordable care act. we listen to our constituents and said to the administration, "listen, you need to get to work and fixing these problems." to the credit of the president and his team, they got to work doing that. the president created an option for people who wanted to renew insurance policies that otherwise have been canceled. people work day and night around

the clock for five or six weeks to make the website work better. we are pleased by the news we heard this morning and the feedback we are getting from our constituents. yesterday over one million people visited healthcare.gov and started the process of shopping for health insurance coverage. we're up to about 1.5 million people who happen declared eligible for medicaid under the affordable care act, which is a significant benefit for many people. was a technical issue. the time that you wait from one page to another is now down to less than a second, which is what you expect from ebay or one of the other websites you would visit -- expedia. the administration gets credit done thes credit has

john to adjust these problems. done their best to fix these problems. i wish i could say the same for the republicans. the house democrats working with the administration has gone to work and we are fixing the problems with the affordable care act. here is what the house republicans are refusing to fix. there is a stories and one of this morning's newspapers that some researchers have found a way to successfully contain aortas in a word is -- people's hearts. a miracle story. the national institute of health helped to fund that breakthrough research. that budget is going to be cut by 7% in a couple of weeks if we do not do something about the sequestration.

republicans so far have done nothing. people who love this country who want a change in immigration dramatized by fasting and many of them brought their children to the house chamber yesterday. we rose as one on the democratic side to salute their patriotism, , their love of our country and the selfless pursuit of justice. there is a bill that got 60 votes in the senate. there are many people who would like to move similar comprehensive immigration reform. speakerk her -- refuses to put that up for a vote. there are farmers toiling who do not know the rules under which they are going to be working because a farm bill has not been passed because of a single minded desire by the most

reckless elements of the republican party to take food and nutrition benefits away from the poorest and most volatile americans. the administration has rolled up its sleeves. there's still work to do but we are fixing the problems the affordable care act. now it is time for speaker boehner and the house majority to drop their complaining, roll up their sleeves, and get to work so the house can pass a budget that is balanced and fair and ends sequestration, so that we can finish our work on fixing a broken immigration system with a sensible and humane apprehensive immigration reform bill. and so we can honor the hard work of america's farmers and america's unemployed and pass legislation to help them before the year is over. we have held up our end of the bargain. now it is time for them to hold up theirs.

[indiscernible]- what is going to change? is there a possibility for democrats to go on offense? >> i would say that all of us in 2010 said wee in will do something about the close to 50 million americans who do not have health insurance and we will pass legislation that gives americans a chance to secure what you and i have taken for granted. i can take my doctor to a hospital or doctor whenever necessary. now we are beginning to see the implementation of the work that was done in 2010. it hasn't gone as smoothly as we

would like. it is not a matter of taking offense or defense but making it work. the launch was not as good as some people would like. clearembers still are not on how to go about the process of applying. we are going to make sure they can ultimately see the fruits of this new health security launch. for us it is about making it work and making sure americans seek your that quality of affordable health insurance that guarantees them they will not face what americans have faced in the past. half of all personal bankruptcies in this country were due to a medical bill because the family was unable to cover the cost of going to the hospital. now you have access to health insurance, good, quality health insurance, you will not have to

worry about that. offense or defense? it does not make a difference to us. it is about making it work. we will continue to make it work instead of dismantling it. about evening americans more quality in their lives. >> what is going to change is people's lives. i am not being critical of journalists, not in this instance. when traffic passes through an intersection, you do not write a story about it. you write a story when there is an accident. there are other real stories that are happening. there are 23-year-old who graduated from college on their parent health care. 3 million of them have health insurance that would not. there are millions of medicare

recipients who have seen a thousand dollar year benefit in their prescription drug costs because of closing the doughnut hole, and that is continuing. cancer andeople with diabetes who can sign up for health insurance at the same price their neighbors without a pre-existing condition would. i am not saying it is the job of the media to write good news stories. that is not the nature of good and take. millions of americans have benefited under this law. millions more will. we acknowledge there are problems to be fixed and we are working to do that. what the other side needs to acknowledge is that farmers have problems. our business community has problems. our colleges, military, homeland

defense has a problem because of sequester. let's get to work in fixing those problems. the website yesterday was overloaded. are you satisfied with what they have done? is it mission accomplished now? >> we are working. we think until every american who has a chance to qualify for these policies gets it, we have work to do. when you have four times as many people in november who apply to get an insurance policy that you did in october, that is a good news. after two months of attacks and the website, you still have over a million people who log on to the website, it is a good sign

that people are still and she's. they wanted to work -- they want iti t to work. we face the same frustration. andrew whoout, dan was frustrated because it took him three hours to navigate the website. after three hours, he was rewarded with $6,000 in savings for the year with a new health insurance plan. when you can save $6,000 for health care, as he says, i would have waited an entire day. we want to make sure that every american will have the security of knowing they can take their children to the doctor or any family member to the doctor when necessary. member to theily doctor when necessary.

from what we have heard, there has been a great deal of progress. more and more americans are making selections, including among his people, these three members of congress, who also make a selection through the website through different portals to get our insurance in the new marketplace. any discussions morning about the error rate? [indiscernible] can you talk about that? >> there was some discussion in terms of the statistical

breakdown in terms of the error rate and how that has gone down over time consistently. it comes back to being satisfied. we will not be satisfied until everybody who wants insurance has the opportunity to purchase that, through the internet or through an insurance company. it is not about "mission accomplished." it is about a mission that will continue. this is never something that goes away. we will hopefully provide greater opportunity for people to access affordability. obamacare is about affordablecare. it is about affordable care. to have insurance, to cover for their families. >> alister with congressman will start with

congressman andrews. [indiscernible] >> i'm going to vote to extend the ban. we cannot get a background check. if the house republicans put up a background check bill, i believe it will pass. i think it would have a chance to pass. the senate has tried to take action. they fell victim to the filibuster rule. the house has done nothing. i am disappointed in that. [indiscernible] because we are not in the majority. of 2014 theer voters and trusty governess to the democrats, there will be a sensible legislation on many fronts. we are in a position where we have a speaker who refuses to

acknowledge the governing majority in the country and in the house of representatives. this is another example of that. >> putting aside the error rate. the study are of this congress have a number of bills coming up on the floor today that are not insignificant. they are not answering the human cry of the american people. someone who wants a job that cannot get one. someone whose family has been destroyed because of violence and gun violence. families who year and for the opportunity to become american citizens and have been denied that opportunity. and the list goes on and on. it is a failure rate we're dealing with here in congress. we have eight days to accomplish many, many things. now is the time for action. we call upon our republican

colleagues to get working on these issues. [indiscernible] >> i think the senate should do the best it can to protect the american people against gun violence. senator reid has to work under the strictures of the 60 vote rule. as a practical matter, it looks like the choice is whether to lift this ban on the plastics expire or not. it should not expire. there is lots of things we would do if majority rule and we were the majority here. we have to practice the art of the possible and pass the best law that we can. the prospects for a budget

deal. >> i think our republican colleagues learned a lesson when the shut down the government on october 1 and realize the american people are not interested in that kind of political shenanigans. over 800,000 americans cannot go to work as a result. i believe we saw the cost, over $20 billion by having republicans decide they wanted to shut down the government. i believe everyone is taking the attitude in this budget conference that we have to get the work done. the difficulty seems to be our republican colleagues have put real obstacles to getting a big deal done to take america to the next stage, the next level by saying they will not consider this or that by taking so many things off the table before the

negotiations started. to the degree that a deal as possible, we hope it is a deal in the interests of the american people and not in the interest of special interests, that it protects the american public that is trying to go back to work and not protect those who are getting tax breaks and help them live off the public trough. confereese budget understand the american people are looking for us to give some good direction and american business looking for congress to give some stability so that american business knows what it can do to invest, to create more job opportunities, to expand their operations. whether we end up with a deal or not, i do believe that the republican shutdown of our government has taught a lot of politicians a lesson. do not tinker with the life of the of the american people. i am more optimistic that a deal

can be reached. i think that rather than get to a point where we get a good deal for the american public that helps launch the american economy and create more jobs, i think we will have something very modest and the american public will wonder why again we continue to have this -- seems this obsession with doing things that are going to go nowhere instead of doing the work of the american people. i think if we have modest sites will can be a compass, we can get there. i think americans are ready for a home run, not just a walk. >> thank you very much. >> thank you, ladies and gentlemen. >> democratic caucus leaders. the house is gaveling back in in about half an hour, taking up a number of bills including one

reauthorizing a bill requiring that guns the manufactured with metal components to make sure they can be detected by.security devices bills dealing with land issues and the aviation industry. live house coverage here on c- span. the president will deliver a statement on health care. the president will highlight the benefits of the 2010 law. we will have live coverage of the president's remarks at 2:30 eastern on c-span3. at this hour the president is meeting with the president of colombia. the president will be speaking at the national press club talking about the economics of his country as peace talks continue between colombia. we will have that live on c-

span3 at 4:30 eastern. a house subcommittee is looking at the u.s. response to typhoon haiyan in the philippines. witnesses include representatives from usiaid. that is live at 3:00 p.m. eastern on c-span2. the house coming in at noon eastern. until then, more from this morning's "washington journal." host: our first guest of the morning, tim huelskamp. good morning. can i take you back to a couple of stories in which you are quoted with on the affordable care act? this is from november 8 --

do you still believe that? guest: that is accurate. it is the holiday season. a lot of folks are not interested in what is going on with washington. there is a part of obamacare we could focus on. and so we made a proposal, we will see what happens. we will go after that medicaid funding in obamacare. host: tell me what you are looking for. guest: we are looking for $20 , advanced new medicaid funding. that is the amount of cuts to the defense budget for the sequester. it is just initial discussions. at the end of the day obama care care is not working well. the website will eventually get

up and running at the end of the day. those kind of problems will continue no matter what happens on the budget discussion. host: are other republicans of your mindset or with many of them tried to do what we saw a few months ago? guest: the sequester is the big issue. that was small budget cuts. if we can maintain those cuts, that is a step in the right direction and if we can do something about rolling back obamacare, we will see some progress. host: there are enrollment error stories, talking about the number signing up. what are your concerns on the -- aside from the technical

aspect of the website? guest: it is not a failed website, it is a failed health care approach. can washington improve our health care system? they are welcome to. when the white house as they are operating with free-market efficiency, i think he admitted that maybe the government should not be running this hold health care system, making those changes. every time the white house signs of a new individual for medicaid, the person is on the system. even if the president issues executive action, what is going to happen when people show up on january 2? those are the kind of questions that this administration cannot find the answer for. it is symptomatic with the health care law. host: as far as people who sign up for health care, what is the federal responsibility as far as

funding is concerned? guest: with obamacare, for three years there are only 100% of that expansion. much more than you are currently funding. you go down to the levels of funding which the states are required to share. the states need to have some skin in the game. i would be nervous. i think the future it is a real question of whether or not you can continue to fund a hundred percent on that expansion. host: how did kansas handle health care? guest: the legislature chose not to join in on the expansion. we also have taken on -- in we received a waiver from the federal government. in kansas we can do a better job running our health care system

for lower income by running it from kansas rather than worrying about too many regulations from baltimore maryland. host: our guest is with us until 8:30 to talk about affordable health care and other issues. here are the numbers -- tweet us and send an e-mail. this is eric from our democrat line. good morning. caller: i think we should require insurance companies to spend our premiums on health care. the government spends three 3% to run medicare. we need to screw filthy rich

corporate executives and politicians and filthy rich unconstitutional -- $1 billion. if you require insurance companies to spend 90%, you we would 7% -- reduce the cost of health care by 7% -- guest: he is obviously concerned about overhead and too many toes being taken dollars out of the system. 10% overhead would be much greater than a system we are heading to with obamacare. at the end of the day the president promised to take on those insurance companies. i am still trying to figure out what happened in that meeting. what did he promises insurance companies in exchange to continue reissuing those policies that were canceled in the last few months.

at the end of the day, i don't think we want politicians or running our health care system. host: from twitter -- guest: i think there will be some desire to do that in the house. we actually passed that the president said he would veto that. it is interesting when you look at the folks that love obamacare. the president has decided to suspend parts of the law. i don't believe he has that authority. we are not going to impose that penalty for a year. it is not working very well. it would have a more disastrous impact if he followed the letter of his own law. president said he is going to

veto anything that is related to obamacare. and so it is his bill. in the meantime he continues to use executive actions to try to ignore significant parts of his health-care law. host: our next caller. this is scott. caller: good morning. i have been in the health insurance business for 20 years. my dad started a business in 1982. i live in south georgia. we have 282y, providers across the network -- there will be 70 providers. there'll no longer be pediatricians -- a pediatrician

center here. they are not on the network. the orthopedics are not on the network. that was something done by the cross. they are requiring 90% of the premium to go to claims. insurance companies half to do that to survive. the they are not in any industry that is able to survive on $.20 margin. they are doing that. they are now running their network so --they are now arrowing their network so they could have a chance to exist. that is just the situation they have been put in.

guest: i have been hearing the same things from constituents. it is becoming a greater issue as more and more providers are looking at other options. it is having a real bad impact already. i think it is going to continue. over generally the estimates just a couple of years ago say that one fourth of our fighters would disappear under obamacare. it is going to happen across the land. even if you are able to receive your card and go into the doctor on january 2, you may find out octor you have had for 20 years is not in the system. that is when we are going to receive more calls. what are you going to do about a system that is not working the way it was intended.

host: there is a story that deals with hospital costs for basic procedures. some of the statistics -- host: what do you do about hospital costs when it comes to the affordable care act? guest: there was one way to deal with that. the president is going to appoint an independent payment and advisory board. they are going to dictate all of these hundreds of billions of dollars. that is part of obamacare. there is a better answer, it is called the markets and competitions. let the american consumer pick and choose. say this insurance company is charging too much overhead or

this one does a better job. i think it should be left to the american people. as much as possible. you are going to continue to have these problems. you have them in the private sector. what happens in the private sector is if you find a hospital is overcharging you, you learn pretty quickly and you are going to go to another one. host: look in the it which will do to take it vantage of negotiating the hospital price? guest: i think it was a problem in the system before obamacare, as long as you have someone else paying the bill -- we need a system in which the consumers have the responsibility and the ability to negotiate and be directly involved in health care.

health care is such a personal decision. host: this is 80 on the democrats line. -- this is eddie. caller: good morning. it is incredible this man can talk about people not getting health care. republicans have not carried at all. is the president listening? if the president is listening to what i am saying, obamacare promise that they have to fight for so many other things like nonprofits and putting out misinformation about what he can do. nowa has to do one thing.

becomes obama cares. he does that and gets it out there. aere is a difference between democratic approach and the republican approach. the democratic cares about people's health care. republicans have no plans. does that deliver any better care for americans? caller: you have a nonprofit status. they can give out the information. they have done a horrible job. billions of dollars from corporations in health insurance. guest: i appreciate that.

you can promote this law all you want. if you are like jeannie, her premium has gone up 50%. that is not a lie. story after story. they are getting higher deductibles. that is the reality. i am hearing it from and stitch wins with these horror stories. they lost their health insurance. obamacare was supposed to do the opposite. folks like myself predicted that would happen, eddie. to me, it is not misinformation, it is relative. if you can't get the dr. you have had for 20 years, you're going to be very upset. it is because of obamacare. host: paul from pennsylvania joining us on our independent line. you're on with the

representative. caller: good morning. back in 2010 when the arguments were taking place, senator mcconnell and republicans were saying to repeal the bill. there is very little information. as far as the details about the bill. things became more feverish and all of a sudden, senator mcconnell said repeal and replace. i was a little disappointed because i would like to see it go away. my insurance premium is going to go up 55% in january. what i want to know, since you guys have tried repeal it, symbolically, at least, 40 plus times, what you have in mind for replacement? guest: that is a great question. i mentioned a little bit ago, we have numerous alternatives but the most prevalent amongst those is the american health care reform act that has a number of things. at its core, instead of having bureaucrats and politicians in washington making these

decisions, we empower patients, we empower consumers and americans in their health care decision. we deal with tort reform. there is none of that in obamacare. this outrageous increase in lawsuits in health care. we allow americans to push health care across state lines. we allow more competition. to me, it is going in the direction we should've have gone three years ago. that is allowing americans to force insurance companies to compete rather than expecting washington to figure that out. is it going to go anywhere? i would like to see it come to the floor so we can have that debate. americans are rejecting obamacare, losing support every day. the question now is, how do we turn that around? i don't think any marketing is going to turn around to make them say, it is a good law, or in your case, 55% increase in the premiums. host: "the new york times" saying there are four hearings on the affordable care act.

guest: this is the single largest expansion of government power in recent history. i think we need even more hearings to find out what is going on. i'm not sure of the topics of the hearings. what took place at the white in the meetings between the president and the insurance companies? he spent his two campaigns vilifying insurance companies, then meets privately behind closed doors with them and suddenly, a number of them announce an agreement there going to ignore the obama care law, which is there going of his grandfather plans or non- grandfathered plants would go away. i would like to see what is occurring there. who decided health care.gov would be going live without proper security? who decided at the white house that healthcare.gov, the information into the insurance companies, which apparently further the information in error, who decided they would go ahead and approve that plan and move forward with that? these are the kinds of questions americans want the answers to.

i would rather know them now than wait until january 2 when they find out. americans will show up at the doctor they've always had, but that entrance and he will say, we don't have in the system. the republicans are going to continue to provide oversight. that is our constitutional responsibility. this is a massive increasing government power and right now it is not working well. host: one of those hearings will be to examine whether mr. obama's rewriting his law by executive powers to alter it. guest: that is absolutely the case, that the white house has said over and over and folks that support obamacare in this town say it is the law of the land, so why is the president suspending the law of the land? if you are a large business, the provisions in obamacare that take place january 1, the president said, you know what, we're going to ignore that. it is those things i think americans are looking for fairness. if you have access to the white house or to power in this town, why do you get exempted from the law? that is what is occurring.

those oversight hearings will continue to whether it is now or as the law actually becomes effective january 2. host: both hearings are part of a larger story about what congress has produced saying the 113th congress has passed all of 55 law so far this year. fewer than last. guest: my constituents probably think that is too many. they don't want congress do a lot. they would like to see government to less. they would like to see a repeal i don't measure the effectiveness by how many laws are passed. with the president announces he's going to veto bill after bill that comes through the house and harry reid doesn't take it up, it is unlikely he it will end up on his desk. that is been the case in this town. there is a real gridlock. but obamacare did pass. i think particularly red state

democrats are looking back, wishing i had not moved so quickly as they did on obamacare back in 2010. host: frank joins us from birmingham, alabama, democrat line. caller: good morning. how are you doing? before i get into the question about obamacare, you sound a little delusional like the individual that tweeted out rosa parks ended racism. would you like to apologize for that statement that rosa parks -- it was supposed to be good, but he messed it up. you sound a little delusional. are you going to apologize for him? do you know what i'm talking about? guest: i do not. it's early in the morning. caller: celebrate rosa park standing up and the tweet was that she stood up and ended racism. anyway. guest: i haven't seen that tweet, but this is obamacare, and it is not about racism. it is about making sure americans have good health care. it is making the system worse. what is your question? host: frank is gone.

we will go onto our next caller. we're joined by representative tim huelskamp, republican from kansas, in the first district. that is dodd city. --dodge city. where is garfield, kansas? guest: it is not in my -- it is in my district. it is a small town country. this is rural hospital area. that is what we're hearing about with obamacare. if you have a fancy car that says you have access, that doesn't work in many of these areas we have to drive 30, 40, 50 miles to your local hospital. host: our next call is from garfield, kansas, republican line. rachel. caller: good morning. how are you? guest: i think i know who this is. good morning, rachel. caller: i voted for you since i first started voting. i'm a little concerned because, like you said, i live in a small community in the hospital where

i will have to start going to see a physician because of obamacare. other than that, i want to say thank you for being a good christian man and standing up for your beliefs. guest: thank you, rachel. that is the concern i'm hearing across the state and across the nation, is this issue of access. it is a growing concern as providers find out what is in obamacare and are worried about that, as doctors again retiring earlier. those are the kinds of stories that worry me. irrespective of what is happening in this town, we're losing access to providers. it is only been worse under obamacare. host: how much access to have -- do you have the health care there in garfield? caller: there's no hospital or clinic in garfield. i have to drive 13 minutes to get to a hospital. i have to go three and half hours to get to a good hospital. host: next call, colorado on our independent line.

hi. caller: this guy is from the yellow brick road country. this is jive talking. i don't know why people keep calling themselves conservatives and tea party. some nonsense. guest: what is the nonsense? caller: every time i ask [indiscernible] you haven't said anything yet. what are you going to do in place of it? for over 100 years, people have been trying to get americans covered with decent health care. what are you going to do? answer the question out right and stop stammering. guest: i appreciate that, chuck. there are a number of bills introduced. i will tell you what, i will admit this president will not compromise a single inch on health care. he is going to veto everything. everything that passes the house doing with health care, he says he's going to veto.

the american health reform act which puts together a real package that puts you in charge of health care rather than bureaucrats and politicians in washington. i think would make a real difference. the system is not perfect but i believe before obamacare we had one, if not the best health care system in the world already. i'm worried about folks like rachel and others who have called in talking about a 30, 40, or doubling in premiums and those are the kinds of things that are scary. you cannot talk around that. that is what i'm hearing across america. folks are going to lose access. there are plans a been canceled. 5.5 million in the last month or so. it will worsen as we move forward. host: representative, there's a story about the budget matters, especially when it comes to the budget debate going on. one of the story says there's a likelihood of passing the short term cr, and that is a high one according to a house leadership aide. no decision has been made whether we do before we leave on december 13 or when we get back

on january 7. what is the likelihood of a short-term cr coming up? guest: it is hard to tell. in my opinion, it is pretty likely something will pass before the christmas break, but no decisions have been made. republicans haven't met and talked about that. that will happen, i think today, and make some decisions and decide. there are some folks in this town who would like to see it shut down. i think harry reid would like to shut down. i think the president thought they would like to shut down. i think it was a disaster for democrats at the end of the day. i think it drew the attention of the americans the fact that republicans oppose obamacare, and it would like some alternatives. i do not know what is going happen in the next month. the idea washington is going to budget one month of the time or two months at a time or three months at a time rather than at least a year at a time, that is a real disaster. but it is been going on before this president came to office and probably will continue in the future. i think we need to get our act together.

at the end of the day, we still have a $700 billion deficit. that has gotten lost in this discussion, the massive debt continues to not shrink and continues to pile up for future generations. host: would you support it, short-term deal for congressional resolution? guest: it would depend on what is in it. i think most conservatives would say, we have to do something about obamacare. we have to show the american people we think it is not working. perhaps that would be not allowing the sixth in the medicaid funding to continue to be sent generally to blue states. if we can maintain the sequester level the that is a minor victory. host: you mentioned the shut down. would you support that prospect if it came up again? guest: i didn't support the last one. there's no bill of a shutdown. when the president and senator reid said, give me everything i want or we will show the government down, we passed 14

bills while the senate has none. i think we blinked but it did draw attention to the failures of obamacare and the fact the president and the democrats -- they own obamacare. that is not the republican of the -- that is not the fault of the republicans. obamacare is unpopular. it will become increasingly unpopular as we deal with these budget issues. we don't want to distract from the signature health-care law of the president of the united states. >> you can see all that conversation on our victory -- video library. a number of bills do with land issues. a bill that requires guns to be manufactured with metal components.

live coverage now of the u.s. house here on c-span. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013]

the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. haplain conroy: let us pray. loving god, we give you thanks for giving us another day. as we face a new day, help us to discover the power of resting in you and receiving assurance and encouragement in your amazing grace. send your spirit down upon the members of the people's house. may they be reminded always of who they are. grant them wisdom, insight and vision that the work they do will be for the betterment of our nation during a time of struggle for so many americans.

may they earn the trust and respect of those they represent , whether or not they had earned their vote, and make history that expands the great legacy of so many who have served in this chamber before now, a legacy of noble service, sometimes political risk but you always great leadership. may all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory. amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentlelady from california, ms. hahn. ms. hahn: please join me. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

the speaker: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the entleman from illinois rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker: without objection. mr. hultgren: i was agered from an email that i received from my district. julie told me she's one of the millions whose health insurance will be canceled because of obamacare. buying a comparable plan means her out-of-pocket expenses will jump more than $5,200 a year. worse, the smaller network excludes her current doctor, the doctor she's seen for 33 years, only doubling her premiums would allow her to keep the doctor who's known and cared for more most of her adult life. the president promised middle-class families would pay $2,500 less in annual health care costs under obamacare. he promised they would be able to keep their insurance plans and doctors. julia's story tells us how erpt

those promises were. the president and senate must act, as the house has, to allow all americans to keep their doctors. americans can't afford more broken promises. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the chamber for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. r. veasey: mr. speaker, i rise gregto -- ngratulate progeto imigrante, since 2005, has served our community by providing low-cost and reliable immigration counseling. i ameyer the hard work and perseverance of the executive director and the entire staff of volunteers who work hard to help their clients navigate the immigration system that to become permanent residents and

citizens and help them apply for preferred action. they have a critical role in protecting a vulnerable immigrant community from fraud and abuse. these efforts take courage, conviction and selflessness that as the holiday season approaches reminds us that we should serve others and look beyond ourselves. respecting our immigrant community and working hard to enact comprehensive immigration reform should be an urgent need in our country. i'm honored that our nation gecto imigrante. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? mr. wilson: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: madam speaker, constituents across south carolina's second congressional district are hurting because of the president's failing health care takeover. as millions of americans continue to receive policy

cancellations it's increasingly clear that obamacare is destroying jobs. angela from lexington writes my son will lose his insurance that was provided through his employer. they said they can't afford the new requirements. my son got a job that provided medical insurance and then the president takes it away. there's definitely something wrong here. the president has broken multiple promises to the american people. as premiums increased and patient lose access to doctors, we must work together to continue to replace obamacare with positive plans as long introduced by congressman dr. tom price. small business owners, such as the late j.w. hendricks, warned of big government abuses, denying young people opportunity to fulfill the american dream. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? without objection. mr. higgins: mr. speaker, i rise in support of the new market tax credit program which is set to expire at the end of this year. this program is proving critical toward making successful investments in communities like my own in western new york. in the city of buffalo, new market investments have leveraged over $180 million for projects, including restoration of the historic electric tower and the development of the innovation center at the buffalo-niagara medical campus. thanks to funding, construction is currently under way at roswell park cancer institute's new clinical science center. mr. speaker, at a time when our economy is recovering from collapse, support for programs that yield economic development and job creation is more critical than ever. i've joined my colleagues in seeking a permanent extension of this program and encourage

our other colleagues to join us in the same pursuit. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from indiana seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. mrs. brooks: obamacare is about tough choices and about unfair choices. barbara from indianapolis recently logged onto my website to share her obamacare story which is about her choices. she's a single mom trying to give her daughter the gift of a college education in a tough economy. president obama's holiday gift to her, however, was a $200 increase in her monthly premium. barbara wrote that for a single mother trying to put her child through college, it's too much. where do i cut, my daughter's education, medical coverage, food? these are tough and unfair and

too many of my constituents are being forced to make these same unfair choices. they shouldn't have to choose between paying for college or paying for health insurance. mr. speaker, our choice is clear. the law is not working. barbara and her daughter deserve a better path forward. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. hahn: mr. speaker, the clock is ticking with just eight legislative days left this year, but i believe there's still time to bring comprehensive immigration reform to this floor for a vote. there is an incredible group of people that are fasting on the national mall as a plea to us to pass some form of comprehensive immigration. today marks day 22 of their fast, but their faith and commitment to change keeps them

going. these men and women are sacrificing their health, and you mean to tell me that we can't find the humanity and compassion to pass a comprehensive immigration bill, speaker boehner? are you kidding me? this isn't who we are as a nation. cesar chavez, gandhi called fasting a prayer, but we must do our part on behalf of the families who've been hurt by this delay of comprehensive immigration reform. i'm standing with these courageous people and immigrant families all across our country in demanding a vote on an immigration bill. let's stop this shameful delay and bring a bill to this floor for a vote by the end of the year. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one

minute. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, at a time when americans continue to see their health care options diminish by the president's disastrous health care law, it's critical that we work to return choice and freedom to the american people. that's why i introduced h.r. 3498, a commonsense bill that gives seniors the freedom to make their own health care decisions and opt out of medicare. if folks like warren buffett or ross perreault want to opt out of medicare part a because they don't want or need a government entitlement paying for their care, we should let them. this bill truly tells seniors, if you like your current coverage you can keep it without the risk of losing other benefits like social security. seniors want, need and deserve the right to choose a health care plan that fits their needs. i urge my colleagues to join my efforts in returning freedom and choice to american seniors.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition? >> thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the the gentlewoman's time has expired is recognized for one minute. mrs. beatty: thank you, mr. speaker. we heard a lot about choices and constituents and what we should do. well, let me say to you, mr. speaker and to this nation, our nation is at a crossroads. the decisions we make today will affect the long-term economic stability of our nation. congress must pass a budget that helps grow our nation and creates jobs. we must eliminate the sequester and invest in our future by funding federal research and education programs. for example, in my district, the ohio state university, one of the nation's premiere research institutions, has ecently experienced a 7.2%

decrease in federal funding because of the sequester and other budget cuts to federal research and development. if this downward trend continues, no question, no question it will affect our nation's next generation of science and discovery and innovation while slowing job growth. federal investment and research and education are put to use in places like world-class laboratories and clinical trials, energy innovation centers. we must sustain these investments. our nation's economic security depends on it. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, the american people are still most concerned about job opportunities and economic growth. mr. yoder: they're concerned about their checkbooks and family budgets as the winter months and holiday season arrive. all too often, washington,

d.c., makes it harder on the economy and the american people, not easier. layer upon layer of government mandates, regulations and taxes suffocate our struggling economy and come down hard upon the hardworking american people. the house must remain committed to focusing on job creation, economic prosperity and opportunities for all americans to succeed. this week the house will continue our efforts to put more americans back to work by focusing on pro-jobs legislation that makes it easier for our small businesses to access resources they need to expand and add employees. we'll work to pass legislation that builds on hydropower in our country, creating good-paying jobs through continuing to develop the all-of-the-above national energy policy. mr. speaker, the american people want congress to work together for the betterment of our entire nation. we must come together and support these bipartisan solutions that encourage economic growth, better paying jobs and lead to more economic prosperity for all. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from delaware seek recognition?

mr. carney: i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. carney: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today i rise to recognize the 1973 basketball team from howard high school in wilmington, delaware. this year marks 40 years since howard's sensational 1973 team won delaware's boy's state championship with an undefeated season of 24-0. howard's 1973 team wasn't the biggest but the wildcats played with a lot of heart. they were led by their brilliant guards and the irrepressable mike miller who battled much taller players under the boards. coaches, teachers, classmates and howard alumni, the wildcats became the first team in delaware history to finish the season undefeated. there were several games when it looked like howard might get knocked off, including a nail biter against the much bigger school in the state semifinal, but the wildcats were always able to pull it out in the end. today, i want to recognize

howard high school's 1973 boy's basketball team, honor them for their historic season and thank them for the work they continue to do for youth in the state of delaware. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? . without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr. speaker. homeowners in my home state of florida and across the country face significant flood insurance rate increases as a result of reforms made to address the solvency of the national flood insurance program. to ensure that nfip remains both affordable for homeowners and sustainable for taxpayers, i have introduced h.r. 3312, the homeowners flood insurance relief act. the bill would cap a homeowners' premiums at the end of a -- homeowner's premiums at the end of a 10-year phase-in.

it would also allow homeowners to pay premiums on a more affordable monthly basis rather than an annual lump sum. these commonsense changes will ensure that homeowners stay in the program and any increased premiums do not harm the already fragile housing markets -- market's recovery. furthermore, they continue the intent of the nfip, protecting homeowners from devastating floods while also ensuring the program is able to cover its costs. i look forward to working with my colleagues to move this legislation forward and i yield back the balance of my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognitions? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today as a member of the safe climate caucus. to highlight the 100th legislative day that my colleagues and i have come to

the house floor and called for action on climate change. ms. matsui: since we started this effort, california has been rocked by devastating wildfire, the midwest has been damaged by tornadoes and early-season blizzard was wiped out livestock in the dakotas and deadly floods have destroyed parts of colorado. extreme weather events caused by climate change continue to affect families and businesses across this country. these are not random occurrences. but constant reminders that climate change is real. we will continue to make our voices heard on the house floor until everyone comes to the table, effective action is taken and future generations are protected. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

>> thank you, mr. speaker. as i listened to the conversation this morning in the one-minutes that were given, i don't hear many people talking about obamacare. dutch duff when i'm back at home -- mr. duffy: when i'm back at home, i'm hearing from thousands of people who have lost their insurance, people who did the right thing, americans who bought insurance to cover themselves and their families, who have now lost their insurance. americans who we asked to do the right thing, they did it. in wisconsin, 95% of wisconsinites were covered. instead of working on the 5% that weren't covered, we've now abandoned our health care system and it's broken for those americans who tried to do the right thing. in my district, denies, needed a kidney transplant -- denise needed a kidney transplant. she's lost her doctor, going to the exchange looking for insurance, and the one option she has doesn't provide coverage with her current doctor. this is life and death for so many americans. i hope that my friends across the aisle will start to talk

about obamacare and how we fix it and make it work for the american people, because right now it's not working. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. yarmuth: thank you, mr. speaker. the prior speaker's priors are about to be answered. mr. speaker, my state of kentucky is a national model for how the affordable care act can make our constituents' lives more secure and their businesses stronger. i'd like to share one story. will russell is the owner of a small independent business in my district that specializes in locally designed clothing and art. the father of a 1-year-old, he also has a pre-existing condition that led insurance companies to deny him coverage for the past 15 years. thanks to the affordable care act, beginning january 1 will and his wife and son will be covered under a plan they found on connect, kentucky's health insurance exchange. will estimates his family will save $300 a month. add that to the peace of mind that comes with knowing he'll

never face medical bankruptcy. and the threat of losing his thriving business just because he didn't have access to insurance. he's been so pleased with the ease and affordability of connect that he's now exploring coverage for his employees for the first time through the state's small business exchange. mr. speaker, will's story is one among millions of americans who are finding expanded care through the affordable care act. to quote with will -- to quote will, it's going to be a new day for my family, for me and so many people just like us in kentucky and throughout the country. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to talk about the millions of americans who have lost their health insurance under obamacare. the house committee on oversight and government reform, the federal government's chief watchdog, is holding a field hearing this friday in apache junction, arizona, entitled obamacare implementation, the broken promise, if you like your current plan, you can keep it.

as a member of this committee, i'm joining the chairman, darrell issa, to listen to arizonans tell their obamacare nightmares. mr. gosar: i want to know how this terrible law is hurting you personally. so we can show president obama and the senate democrats the damage obamacare is inflicting throughout arizona and across the country. i encourage you all to come and let your voice be heard. mr. speaker, we are listening. if you are able to -- not able to attend, but would like to share your story, please visit gop.gov/yourstory. obamacare has always been fundamentally flawed. i'll do everything i can to protect the american people from this horrific law and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from nevada seek recognition? titistitis ask unanimous consent to address -- ms. titus: ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. titus: with fewer than seven legislative days left in the year, the -- i wanted to address the staggering list of

unfinished business before the house is rapidly closing. no farm bill, no long-term udget, no tax reform, no comprehensive immigration package, no replacement for the sequester. in fact, the g.o.p. has continued to fail to govern and create real solutions to the pressing issues facing this country. over the past 11 months, republicans have undermined the important economic progress that we've made, disproportionately harming low-income women and children, and keeping 11 million undocumented immigrants in the shadows. they have gutted nutritional programs, voted to repeal the health care reform 43 times, and shut down the government in a fit, putting millions in economic risk. this holiday season, as americans enjoy exchanging gifts with family and friends, i'm afraid all they're going to find from house republicans is a lump of coal. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the

gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. obamacare exemplifies perfectly the problem of bureaucratic human being riss. -- hubris. the suits in washington chose to pass a completely partisan law that -- and regardless of promises, force unwanted insurance exchanges on millions of americans. many of my constituents object to the characterization of better. coverage isn't better if it's not what a family wants or needs. it's not better if its shiny new mandates make health care unaffordable. holly knows this too well. she wrote to say, i'm a care manager. i pay $171 per month, my deductible is $2,500. i went on healthcare.gov and was informed i now will get no financial assistance to pay for

my plan, if i choose the lowest-cost plan, i'll be paying $330 per month, my doctor's not listed as a provider, and my drug deductible will be $2,500. i feel i'm caught between a rock and a hard place. better for holly would be health care law that doesn't make her insurance preferences illegal. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. mrs. capps: mr. speaker, today marks the 1 u.n.th consecutive -- 100th consecutive legislative day the safe climate caucus has spoken on the house floor, calling for action to address climate change. the science itself is clear. climate change is already contributing to significant environmental changes. floods nted droughts,

and hurricanes to name a few. but climate change is not only a serious environmental problem, it's a serious economic problem as well. american businesses, large and small, understand this threat. and they're responding accordingly. they're increasing their energy efficiencies, reducing pollution, and implementing more sustainable business practices. american businesses understand that the changing climate is already hurting their bottom lines. and they're taking action to strengthen their competitiveness and their resiliency. congress should be doing the same. yet our majority continues to stick its head in the sand and do nothing. climate change poses a real and immediate threat to our economy and we really can't afford to wait any longer. i urge my colleagues to join with american businesses and take action now to address this urgent problem. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker.

i rise today to call attention to one number that has remained too high for too long. and that's the number of unemployed people in this country. right now that number stands at 11.3 million. that's 11.3 million of our fellow americans. these are not just statistics, these are real people. they're our friends, our neighbors, our children. and they deserve better. mr. hudson: they deserve policies that encourage real economic growth that will create jobs, not higher health care costs, policy cancellations and threats of job loss brought on by obamacare. this unworkable law is causing health care premiums to rise all across the country, particularly in my home state of north carolina. and millions of americans have had their insurance policy canceled. this is not a plan for growth. it's a plan for more strain on hardworking americans. it's time for real solutions. it's time to get americans back to work. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition?

without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for ne minute. ms. wilson: mr. speaker, by the end of december, 1.3 million unemployed americans will lose their unemployment benefits because congress refuses to act. it has been 1,066 days since i arrived in congressed a the republican leaders have still not -- congress and the republican leaders have still not allowed a single vote on serious legislation to address our unemployment crisis. as we approach the holidays, many families will grieve and worry, many will suffer because january, 2014, they will be the victims of the unemployment crisis. the sad fact is this. we have solutions but the republican leaders have abandoned these commonsense solutions and will not bring them to the floor.

mr. speaker, in this tight job market, it's not the unemployed who are lazy, it's this congress that's lazy. our mantra should be jobs, jobs, jobs. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to speak about the affordable care act. as the american people know, members of congress now are covered by this law and rightly so, we should engage in the d.c. exchange. i want to tell you about my personal experience. with the d.c. exchange. the president said, you can keep your health care plan, that your people are rums will go down. mr. mccaul: mr. speaker, i lost my health care plan. i have five kids. and my premiums have gone up significantly. and i don't know if i can keep all the same doctors that i had

to treat my kids. you know, if this is such a great law, why isn't the president of the united states covered about by this law? why didn't the president of the united states on day one have a rose garden ceremony as customer number one, under his law, obamacare, and sign up for this law? well, you know what? the answer is, he hasn't signed up for it because maybe he doesn't think it's good enough for his family. but yet it's good enough for the american people. that's the height of hypocrisy and arrogance in washington and it needs to stop. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new hampshire seek recognition? . without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. curser: thank you, mr. speaker. i -- ms. kuster: thank you, mr.

speaker. the federal emergency unemployment compensation program will expire just days after christmas. if this happens, 1.3 million americans, including 1,300 granite staters, will be cut off from their benefits on december 28. we cannot let that happen. these benefits provide a vital lifeline to granite staters and americans all across this country who are struggling to find work. with only eight legislative days remaining before the end of 2013, the time is now to extend this critical program. this bill would extend unemployment insurance through the end of 2014, giving hardworking people in new hampshire the boost they need to find work. i recently held a career and opportunities fair where i saw over 300 people striving for a better job and a brighter future. let's give them that chance.

please pass this legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. house republicans have a plan to provide real solutions that will help americans, all americans in a very tough economy. we want to spur economic growth, create more jobs and provide fairness for everyone. mr. miller: what do the president and his democrat allies have to offer, 11 million americans who are out of work today? they offer up obamacare. this deeply flawed law is forcing hardworking americans to shell out more of their hard earned money for higher insurance costs. it's causing millions of americans to lose their insurance coverage altogether. too many americans are already struggling to make ends meet. it's not fair that they're being forced to deal with the obamacare train wreck too.

it's time for real solutions. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. speier: mr. speaker, when jerry spencer told his family he was gay, his mother told him not to worry about it, that they would fix it. this began seven years of going through so-called conversion therapy to try to make him straight. he was forced to put blocks of ice on his hands while he looked at pictures of guys holding hands and would only be given relief from the pain if he pleaded to see a picture of a man and woman holding hands. other survivors were told to strip down and hold their genitalias or snap themselves with rubber bands, each time they experienced same-sex attraction. jerry said he was a little more destroyed. these attempts to change lgbt youth are extremely harmful and causes depression, substance

abuse, self-destructive behavior and even suicide. these practices have been rejected by every mainstream mental health association as neither safe nor effective. these efforts frequently increase family rejection, which we know make lgbt youth eight times more likely to report attempting suicide, five times more likely to report high levels of depression and three times more likely to use illegal drugs. recognizing these harms, california and new jersey have passed laws to protect minors. state legislatures in pennsylvania, massachusetts, new york and ohio are considering similar measures. and this week i will introduce the stop harming our kids resolution to encourage other states to pass laws to protect lgbt minors from these harmful, damaging practices. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. are there any further one-minute requests? pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20.

record votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1095, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1095, a bill to amend title 49, united states code, to direct the assistant secretary of homeland security, transportation security administration, to transfer unclaimed money recovered at airport security checkpoints to nonprofit organizations that provide places of rest and recuperation at airports for members of the armed forces and their families and for other . rposes

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. mccaul, and the gentleman from mississippi, mr. thompson, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. mccaul: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. mccaul: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. i stand in strong support of this bill, the t.s.a. loose change act, co-sponsored by my good friend and chairman of the veterans' affairs committee, congressman jeff miller, with 42 bipartisan co-sponsors. the committee on homeland security ordered this legislation reported during the 112th congress and again this congress. this is the first time it's being considered by the full house. i'm pleased to be here today to

express my strong support for the measure and urge its adoption. mr. speaker, in the hustle and bustle of our nation's airports, with millions of people traveling every day, it's no surprise that some travelers will inadvertently leave behind loose change at t.s.a. screening points. that pocket change may not add up to much at one airport, but when you add up at every airport, it is about half a million every year. t.s. is authorized to keep the money for its own use but they have been slow to spend it and have received $7 billion toward its operations every year. i believe this is a unique opportunity to spend it on airport centers that provide our military heroes with a more relaxing and comfortable experience when they travel. what better time to make this change than during this busy holiday season when service members are traveling to spend time with nair loved ones? according to the c.b.o., this

bill will not have a significant net impact on the budget and any given year given the modest amount of money involved. supporting our service members and their families is a goal we can all get behind. this bill represents a commonsense step towards that objective. earlier this year we passed the helping heroes fly act, sponsored by congresswoman from hawaii, ms. gabbard. that bill is already making a difference for wounded warriors traveling through our airports, and h.r. 1095 is another chance and another example to further our commitment to our u.s. soldiers. i commend chairman miller for sponsoring this legislation as well as my colleagues on the committee and across the aisle for their support, and with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to ask mr. richmond to manage the bill, h.r. 1095. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered.

the gentleman from louisiana is recognized. mr. richmond: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 10 5, the t.s.a. -- h.r. 1095, the t.s.a. loose change act, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. . richmond: h.r. 1095 is a straightforward bill with an admiral goal. that is to take unclaimed money left at passenger screening checkpoints, often in the form of loose change, and put it to good use, aiding service members and their families while they travel. unclaimed money is used to offset civil aviation security costs. in recent years, t.s.a. has collected slightly less than $500 million annually in unclaimed money at checkpoints. h.r. 1095 would amend current law by directing that these funds be transferred to a nonprofit organization, such as the united service organizations, that provide places of relaxation and

recuperation at airports for members of the armed forces and their families. i am pleased to lend my support for this legislation. i know that the chairman of the veterans' affairs committee has been a champion of this legislation for several congresses now, and i applaud him for his persistence on this issue. chairman miller will be glad to know this is not the first bill regarding service members and veterans that the committee has seen moving on during this congress. earlier this year, the helping heroes fly act, which i was an original co-sponsor, went on to become law. that legislation, introduced by my colleague of the committee on homeland security, representative gabbard from hawaii, requires t.s.a. to provide expedited screening for severely injured service members and veterans. together, the helping heroes fly act and the t.s.a. loose change act displays the committee's commitment to honor our service members and veterans. with that, mr. speaker, i

reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of the legislation, the distinguished gentleman from florida and the chairman of the veterans' affairs committee, mr. miller. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. miller: i want to thank my good friend, mr. mccaul, the ranking member, mr. thompson, also chairman hudson and congressman rogers of alabama, and really all the members of the homeland security committee for their support of this important piece of legislation. as a proud supporter, as many of us in this chamber are, of our military, i'm grateful that each of my colleagues and their hardworking staff for the opportunity to help advance h.r. 1095, the t.s.a. loose change act, that's on the floor with us today. this act is a commonsense piece of legislation with bipartisan support, has no impact on the federal budget and supports our men and women in uniform who

dedicate their lives in defense of the freedom that we enjoy. as a result of this bill's passage, travelers' unclaimed change left at airport security checkpoints, which is currently retained by the department of homeland security, would be put to good use right there in airports across america. what may seem like a small amount of change left behind to some, nickels, dimes, quarters, pennies, actually amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars each year and can make a significant difference if used wisely. by directing t.s.a. to transfer unclaimed money to nonprofit organizations that provide rest and recuperation area in our nation's airports, h.r. 1095 would ensure that thousands of coins, when bundled together, would be used in support of millions of our nation's warriors. i want to urge all of my colleagues to support h.r. 1095, and with that, mr.

speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas continue to reserve? mr. mccaul: yes, i do, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized. richmond richmond -- mr. richmond: mr. speaker, i don't have any more speakers on this bill and if you don't, mr. chairman, i'm prepared to close. mr. mccaul: i have one additional speaker. mr. richmond: i will continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield as much time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from north carolina and chairman of the subcommittee on transportation and security, mr. hudson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. hudson: mr. speaker, i rise today to voice my strong support for the t.s.a. loose change act, authored by my good friend, jeff miller of florida. we see loose change at security lines in every airport from charlotte down to pensacola and all across this nation. it may not seem like much, but as people quickly shuffle through their checkpoints and

leave change behind, but it adds up to almost $500,000 a year. under current law, the money's used for civil aviation security, but this bill will allow t.s.a. to use this loose change to direct it to a good cause. mr. speaker, i agree with mr. miller. this money should be put to the use of supporting our military members and their families by providing them a place to rest at the airports. i would like to thank chairman miller for his tireless effort, his work on this issue. also, other members of the homeland security committee, particularly want to recognize the ranking member on our subcommittee, mr. richmond, who has dedicated himself to this work, who's worked with me on this and many other issues in a bipartisan way. and mr. speaker, that's what the american people are looking for. they're looking for us to come here and work together for solutions for the american people. mr. speaker, i'm proud of the work we produced with in bill, and i urge my colleagues to support in bill. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina yields back. does the gentleman from texas

continue to reserve? mr. mccaul: yes, i do. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized. mr. richmond: thank you, mr. speaker. let me thank the chairman of the full committee on homeland security, the ranking member on -- chairman of the committee that i'm ranking member on, and mr. miller for introducing this legislation and working in such a bipartisan manner. of course, my ranking member, mr. thompson from the neighboring state mississippi. this bill is a bipartisan effort and it goes to show to the american people that we do have good common sense here in congress and we do things that's right just because it's the right thing to do. with that, mr. speaker, i would just urge all my colleagues to support this legislation that will give resources to some of our most valuable citizens in the country, the ones who put their lives on the line for us that we may help them and expedite and make more relax their travel through the united states and with that i would just urge my colleagues to support it and yield back the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized.

mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. i also want to thank chairman hudson, chairman miller, chairman richmond, ranking member richmond, and ranking member thompson. i'm proud of the work we've done on this committee. in the sense that, in a time of intense partisanship, that we have conducted ourselves very professionally and in a bipartisan way and i think when it comes to the national security issues, that's precisely what we should be doing and it's what the american people, as chairman hudson said, expect and deserve. with that, mr. speaker, i urge the adoption of this bipartisan, commonsense bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 1095, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. mccaul: meeks, i move that the house suspend -- mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2719 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 196, h.r. 2719, a bill to require the transportation security administration to implement best practices and improve transparency with regard to technology acquisition programs and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. mccaul, and the gentleman from louisiana, mr. richmond, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. mr. speaker, i rise in support of this bill, the transportation security acquisition reform act. which was developed and introduced by the dwig distinguished gentleman from north carolina, the chair -- the distinguished gentleman from north carolina, the chairman of the subcommittee, mr. hudson. and over the course of several years, the committee on homeland security has conducted extensive oversight of t.s.a. technology acquisition programs. during this session, the subcommittee on transportation security has continued this critical oversight function and taken it to the next level under chairman hudson's leadership. poor planning, excessive costs, a clumsy test and evaluation process and other flaws have had a crippling effect on passenger travel and our security effectiveness. h.r. 2719 is commonsense, bipartisan and an important step toward addressing the very deficiencies that left

travelers without adequate privacy protections. for instance, $200 million worth of screening equipment sitting in warehouses and hundreds of machines abruptly pulled out of airports before the end of their life cycles. h.r. 2719 requires t.s.a. to develop a multi-year technology investment plan to serve as a road map for industry and shed new light on t.s.a. spending decisions. it gives congress early warning when technology programs exceed their intended costs or undulyy delayed or do not provide security results initially promised. it also requires t.s.a. to get a handle on its broken inventory management process. mr. speaker, recommendations from across government and industry were incorporated into this crucial piece of legislation and numerous industry stakeholders have expressed their support for this bill. i especially appreciate the hard work of my colleagues on

the committee, especially mr. hudson from north carolina and mr. richmond from louisiana, for their bipartisan approach they took in crafting this important piece of legislation and they're collaborative, deliberative process that they followed to bring this bill to the floor in their first year as chair and ranking member of this subcommittee. i urge my colleagues to join us in passing this vital piece of legislation that will further protect our transportation systems and the american taxpayer. let's send this bill to the senate and on to the president for his signature. so thank you, mr. speaker, and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from louisiana. mr. richmond: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in strong support of h.r. 2719, the transportation security acquisition reform act, and yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from louisiana. mr. richmond: again, thank you, mr. speaker. h.r. 2719 addresses long

standing concerns that i and other mens -- members of this committee have raised about the transportation security administration's stewardship of taxpayer funds when pursuing, acquiring and deploying security-related technologies. importantly, the bill also seeks to address t.s.a.'s lackluster record of contracting with small businesses. earlier this year the subcommittee on transportation security, of which i am the ranking member, held a hearing with industry stakeholders where we heard from representatives of both small and large businesses on how to improve t.s.a.'s acquisition practices and how the agency can engage with small businesses more effectively. simply put, t.s.a.'s failure to meet its goals for prime contracting with small businesses is unble. there are ample small -- is unacceptable. there are ample small, minority-owned and disadvantaged businesses that are ready, willing and able to provide services and

technologies to t.s.a. that would enhance our security and likely reduce contracting costs. if t.s.a. cannot identify such businesses, i will be happy to refer them to some. the bill takes a significant step toward holding t.s.a. more accountable for achieving its goals, for contracting with small and disadvantaged businesses, by requiring the agency to develop an action plan to accomplish its goals and report to congress on how it planses to get there. i thank subcommittee -- plans to get there. i thank the subcommittee chairman for his willingness to include small businesses in the discussion as we develop the legislation before the house today. indeed, at every turn this legislation was developed in a bipartisan fashion and the final product is better for that. the bill tackles head-on the lack of transparency and accountability that has plagued t.s.a.'s acquisition practices since the agency's inception. among t.s.a.'s most notable and costly acquisition miss steps,

i would put -- misstep, i would put the puffer machines that did not work and the whole body a.i.t. machines that could not be modified to protect passengers' privacy. i know legislation can guarantee that an agency will not falter when acquiring technologies. h.r. 2719 represents a significant step in the right direction. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from north carolina, the sponsor of this legislation, and chairman of the subcommittee on transportation security, mr. hudson. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina. mr. hudson: mr. speaker, i rise today to urge my colleagues to support a critical piece of legislation, the transportation security acquisition reform act. which i introduced in july and have been working on for many months. i thank chairman mccaul for helping me move this bill through our committee and commend all the members of the keb on a swift and unanimous vote -- committee on a swift

and unanimous vote to bring this bill to the floor. this is a unanimous vote both in the subcommittee and the full committee. this bill has a bipartisan support of our chairman and ranking member on the full committee, as well as myself and the ranking member on the transportation security subcommittee, and let me say, this bill would not be possible if mr. thompson and mr. richmond were not willing to work with me on this and, frankly, their collaboration made this better legislation. and as i've said before, the american people expect us to come here and work together for solutions. and this is the prime example of that. this bill has with stood the careful scrutiny of our committee's oversight and has also been endorsed by numerous stakeholders outside the capitol. i ask unanimous consent to have their letters of support enter into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hudson: mr. speaker, in today's partisan culture of a divided congress, i'm very proud to report that we can come together across the aisle to address very real issues we have with transportation security administration, that's

acquisition and procurement. we've witnessed hundreds of millions of dollars wasted on failed technologies and machines sitting idle in warehouses. poor planning, inventory management and limited communication with stakeholders have decreased security, limited innovation and squandered taxpayer dollars. i recognize that t.s.a. is constantly trying to respond to new threats. they have a difficult job. but in some cases the pressure to perform and deploy new tech nothings -- technologies can lead to a reactive approach without sufficient planning. long way to ve a go. having a long-term plan that leverages experts within government and within industry can help prevent this capability gaps. our bill provides that road map to success. mr. speaker, we cannot continue to let t.s.a. drag its feet on establishing greater transparency and accountability for technologies that protect our nation's traveling public. it is incumbent upon us to make sure taxpayer dollars are being used effectively and

efficiently. we must take action. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina yields back. the gentleman from texas continue to reserve? mr. mccaul: i do, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized. mr. richmond: mr. speaker, i would take this opportunity to thank the chairman of homeland security, mr. mccaul, and the chairman of the subcommittee, mr. hudson, for the manner in the -- the bipartisan manner in which they handled not only this bill but all of the bills and it's typical of how we conduct ourselves on the committee, especially my ranking member, mr. thompson from mississippi, that we put the goals, the safety and the value of the american public over partisanship. and with what this bill does -- and what this bill does, it does four things that i'm really excited about. one, it creates jobs through working with small businesses, it provides greater transparencies with the acquisition process, it creates more efficiencies within the department and saves the

american taxpayers money and, lastly, but certainly not least, makes our traveling public safer. and with those goals that we've made a priority in crafting this legislation and pushing it through, i am happy with the final product and i would urge all of our members to support it and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to associate myself with the gentleman from louisiana's remarks. i do think this is -- it's a very important bill that will save money ultimately, taxpayer dollars, make the system more efficient, while at the same time better protecting the traveling public, which i think is what it's all about. so with that i urge adoption of this bill, to provide these necessary reforms to t.s.a. acquisition, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 2719, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no.

in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. mr. richmond: mr. speaker, on that i'd request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: so the gentleman asks for the yeas and nays, is that correct? mr. richmond: yes. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings thon motion will be postponed -- proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. mccaul: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1204 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will rorpt title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 199, h.r. 1204, a bill to amend title 49, united states code, to direct the assistant secretary of homeland security, transportation security administration, to establish an aviation security

advisory committee and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. mccaul, and the gentleman from louisiana, mr. richmond, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. mccaul: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks, include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mccaul: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mccaul: mr. speaker, i rise n strong support of this bill, the aviation security stakeholder participation act of 2013, sponsored by the ranking member of the full committee on homeland security, mr. thompson. mr. speaker, the american people know that the t.s.a. is charged with protecting our aviation system against another horrific terrorist attack like we experienced on september 11. however, the role of industry stakeholders from pilots and flight attendants to private screening companies and airport

operators is equally as critical. albeit less visible. t.s.a.'s in the spotlight for better or for worse, but many of t.s.a.'s private sector partners are also responsible for implementing effective security programs and keeping travelers safe. this shared responsibility is precisely why t.s.a. cannot make decisions in a vacuum, as has it has been known to do. the bill before us send as necessary message to t.s.a. leadership and frankly to all d.h.s. leadership that the congress values stakeholders' input, private sector collaboration and thoughtful planning prior to rolling out new policies and procedures that affect millions of travelers. . the aviation security advisory committee authorized in this legislation serves as a sounding board for t.s.a. decisionmakers by codifying the committee in statute, we'll prevent a

needless expiration of its charter and disbandment which has already happened once under t.s.a. as chairman of the committee on homeland security, i'm proud of the manner in which this bill was thoughtfully considered and amended in committee. by members on both sides of the aisle, and i think the ranking member -- i thank the ranking member for his work on this important issue. and i think the more recent example we have the knives being allowed on the airplanes without input and participation by the flight attendants and the pilots is a classic example of this department not talking to the private sector about what can better protect them and passengers on airplanes. of course that decision was reversed by the director of t.s.a. eventually after he consulted with the stakeholders in the community. this bill will provide that they consult with those stakeholders before such decisions are made. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition? mr. richmond: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 1204, the aviation security stakeholder participation act, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. richmond: thank you, mr. speaker. stakeholderspacted is critical to developing effective policies. h.r. 1204 introduced by ranking member -- the ranking member of the committee on homeland security, representative thompson of mississippi, codifies that sentiment by making permanent the aviation security advisory committee. soon after 9/11, industry representatives from all corners of the transportation sector gathered to support t.s.a.'s efforts to develop an efficient, effective, and workable security program. for a number of years this advisory committee was a productive partner to t.s.a. unfortunately, t.s.a. allowed the advisory committee to become inactive by letting the charter

lapse. although the aviation security advisory committee's charter was renewed in 2011, it was only in response to congressional pressure by ranking member thompson and this committee and the repeated complaints about the lack of dialogue between t.s.a. and the industry stakeholders. the advisory committee is a valuable asset to our nation's aviation security because it helps ensure that the policies that t.s.a. develops are responsive to security challenges and can be effectively integrated into security operations. simply put, the advisory committee is too valuable to homeland security to risk it becoming inactive again. i applaud ranking member thompson for introducing this legislation to make the aviation security advisory committee permanent, and i thank the chairman of the homeland security committee for making sure that it moved through the process quickly and both seeing the wisdom of making this

legislation law. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from north carolina and chairman of the subcommittee on transportation and security, mr. hudson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. hudson: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of the aviation security stakeholder participation act. introduced by my friend, the ranking member of the homeland security committee, mr. bennie thompson. this commonsense bill ensures stakeholders have a seat at the table when working with their partners at the transportation security administration. too many times in government we see a lack of communication between government officials and industry stakeholders. this gap is troubling as it creates a vacuum of ideas and does not allow for a flow of information between the federal government and private sector that is necessary. mr. thompson's bill, which passed out of our committee unanimously, would bridge that gap by allowing the aviation

security advisory committee to take effect and have the constant line of communication to exchange ideas and formulate thoughtful procedures at the as the agency responsible for securing of our commercial aviation. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. does the gentleman from texas reserves? mr. mccaul: i do. the speaker pro tempore: gentleman from louisiana is recognized. mr. richmond: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the ranking member of the committee on homeland security, the gentleman from mississippi, mr. thompson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 1204, the aviation security stakeholder participation act of 2013. last congress i introduced a version of the legislation before us today when the charter of the aviation security advisory committee was allowed to expire, resulting in the

advisory committee becoming inactive. shortly after the terrorist attacks of september 11, the advisory committee has provided formal stakeholder input and advice to t.s.a. with respect to aviation security policies. i was pleased that in response to my bill, secretary napolitano restored this forum for stakeholder input. to prevent a lapse in advisory committee's operation, it is important that it be codified in law. that is exactly what h.r. 1204 goss does. this bill authorizes ---h.r. 1204 does. this bill authorizes the aveyigs security advisory committee to proindividual representatives from air carriers, aircraft manufacturers, airport operators, general aviation stakeholders, and other organizations an opportunity to provide input in the policymaking and have their

voices heard. it also requires the tablishment of subcommittees to focus on cargo security, general aviation security, perimeter security, exit lane security, security related technology, and risk-based security respectfully. whatever your thoughts about t.s.a.'s policy decisions, i believe we can all agree that such decisions should be made only after meaningful consultation and coordination with stakeholders. earlier this year, when t.s.a. announced proposed changes in the prohibited items list, that would have resulted in knives being allowed on planes for the first time since 9/11, we got a firsthand glimpse of the problems that arise when stakeholders are not consulted. only after an overwhelmingly negative reaction to this decision did administrative pistol put the issue before the

advisory committee for review. ultimately after this critical consultation, t.s.a. reversed its decision. so, mr. speaker, it's clear that consultation is important. this ear that codifying bill is necessary. but i'd also like to add that there are other organizations who want to be placed in the record in support of it. the cargo airline association, the association of flight attendants, the u.s. travel association, the airports council of international, security manufacturers coalition, general aviation manufacturers association, and aircraft owners and pilots association. with that, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to once again support legislation to codify the aviation security advisory committee and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman from louisiana reserve in mr. richmond: yes, i

reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: mr. speaker, i have no further members to speak on this bill. i reserve and close once the gentleman from louisiana closes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve. the gentleman from louisiana is recognized. mr. richmond: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you again to the chairman of the full committee, mr. mccaul, and the chairman of the subcommittee, mr. hudson, and to the ranking member of the full committee, mr. thompson. thank you for moving this legislation and thank you to mr. thompson for introducing it. i would once again urge my colleagues to support this legislation to codify the aviation security advisory committee so that stakeholders have a permanent seat at the table when t.s.a. develops policies that have a direct impact on our security and their operations. simply what it does is guarantees that policies won't be implemented solely by people relying on theory but ensures that the stakeholders are at the table to talk about the reality of the policies that they

implement. with that, mr. speaker, i would again urge my colleagues to support the legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge adoption of this bipartisan bill. i want to thank chairman hudson, ranking member of the full committee, mr. thompson, ranking member richmond. i'm proud to report to this house that this committee has passed several bills, all of which have passed unanimously out of our committee. i'm not sure if there's any committee in congress that can say that. and i'm very proud of that effort. and i hope that we can continue in that spirit with more complex legislation that we face in the future. i know that with the ranking member and his spirit of cooperation we'll be able to get it done. so with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house

suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1204, as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. mr. mccaul: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. mccaul: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas has requested the yeas and nays. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina, mr. coble, seek recognition? mr. coble: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3626 to extend the undetectable firearms act of 1988 for 10 years. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3626, a bill to extend the undetectable firearms act of 1988 for 10 years. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from north carolina, mr. coble, and the gentleman -- therginia, mr. scott, ouse will be in order. pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from north carolina, mr. coble, and the gentleman from virginia, mr. scott, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina. mr. coble: i thank the speaker. mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. coble: mr. speaker, today i

rise in support of h.r. 3626, a bill to extend the undetectable firearms act of 1988 for 10 years. in 1988 congress passed the original law that makes it illegal to manufacture, import, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer, or receive any firearm that is not detectable by walkthrough metal detection or any firearm with major components that did not generate an accurate image before extended airport imaging technology. the original act passed in 1988, mr. speaker, and 10 years which expired in 1998. congress renewed the bill for five years in 1998 and for 10 years in 2003. the law will sunset on december 9, 2013, if it is not re-authorized again. the original law received overwhelming bipartisan support and so did each subsequent

renewal. i urge nigh colleagues -- urge my colleagues to support -- strike that. i urge my colleagues to support the overwhelming -- verify the overwhelming bipartisan support. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. scott: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 3626, which will extend by 10 years the authorization of the undetectable firearms act, the statute which has been in effect -- which is in effect through december 9 of this year. the untextable firearms act spribts the importation, manufacture, sale, transport, or possession of firearms that are undetectable by metal detectors or x-ray machines, signed into law by president reagan in 1988. the statute remains critical to public safety. the law helps protect us from firearms that are undetectable

by some of the most conventional means of firearms protection. the law prevents the commercial production and plow live racial of such weapons and could be used either by individuals or organized terrorist groups seeking to commit crimes in secure areas such as courthouses or airplanes. unfortunately, the need for such protection has grown in recent years. it was re-authorized for five and 10 years. authorization of this prohibition has been incremental because congress recognized that the technology would evolve and that we may need to update the statute to maintain its effectiveness. in fact, this is what has transpired. the current law has a critical loophole that may enable and encourage the production of firearms that may escape detection. under the statute, someone may produce a plastic firearm which because it only has a metal component. which is not essential for the operation of the firearm but is easily removable but the -- by

the firearm user. in fact, some designs made available on the internet to assist the manufacture of such guns using 3-d printers include such a feature. we need to strengthen the law to address this obvious problem and we should adops do not the undetectble proposal. is he proposing that the statute be updated to require that the metal which makes a firearm detectble be included in the essential component to the firearm so if removed the gun would not operate. when i support the re-authorization of the act for 10 years, a 10-year extension should not be interpreted as an agreement that the statute should remain unchanged for that entire term. we need to work quickly to does not law but it appear we'll be able to do that in the time left before the statute's expiration. however, we cannot allow the law to expire and for the

existing, even if imperfect protections to lapse. finally, with the continued toll of gun violence in our communities, congress must act immediately on other measures to strengthen our gun laws. we're nearing the first anniversary of the killing of 20 students and six teachers at sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut. while such tragic mass shootings bring attention to the gun violence, we must recognize that the scope of the problem is much greater. an average of over 30 people a day are murdered with firearms in america. however, during this congress, the house has take none steps to address the problem. the judiciary committee hases held no hearings and is -- has held no hearings and hasn't even considered any measures which have been proposed to make us safer from gun violence. for example, we must make a priority of ex tendsing the brady act to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and we should take action on h.r. 1565, the public safety and

second amendment right to protection act, which would expand the brady background check requirement to firearms sold at gun shows and through commercial advertisements. we should also consider bills such as h.r. 1318, the youth promise act, which is designed to promote proven crime prevention strammings. with respect to the bill before us -- strategies. with respect to the bill before us today, i commend the gentleman from north carolina for introducing the measure, to extend the term of the current statute. firearms act le continues to help protect public safety and we should re-authorize it while also working to update and improve it without delay. i therefore urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3626 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. coble: mr. speaker, i have no further requests for speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina continues to reserve. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may may consume

to the gentleman from new york -- as he may consume to the gentleman from new york. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. >> i thank the gentleman from virginia who serves ably. i also want to thank my friend, the gentleman from north carolina, who truly is a gentleman and who will be missed for his bipartisan work on this bill. mr. israel: we have worked well together and i'm deeply grateful to the gentleman for that partnership. mr. speaker, in 1988, when we passed the undetectable firearms act, the notion of a 3-d printed plastic firearm slipped through metal detectors, onto our planes in secure environments was a matter of science fiction. the problem is that today it is a reality and in only six days, the law banning undetectable firearms act expires. so we have to act now. now, this law was enacted under president reagan in 1988. it was re-authorized under president clinton. it was re-authorized again in 2003 under president bush. when ronald reagan and bill clinton and george bush agree on something, so should we.

this has always been a matter of bipartisanship and so we should continue that bipartisanship and pass this bill today. it's bipartisan baups it is a matter of -- because it is a matter of common sense that we don't want to make it easy for errorists and criminals to bring guns past metal detectors onto our planes and into security environments. -- secure environments. now, as the gentleman from virginia stated, in our view this bill is not perfect. i would have preferred to modernize the undetectable firearms act, to eliminate some loopholes in the law. y requiring that certain metal components be permanent or not . sily removed i would have liked to close that loophole. but frankly i believe that even a loophole in a law is better than no loophole at all, a loophole can be closed down the line, that is a preferred scenario to no law at all. and so i'm not going to oppose this first step because we can't get all of our steps. we will step forward and continue to support the

modernization of the undetectable firearms act. this for now is a very good step. it's a step that all of our colleagues should support. i again thank the gentleman from north carolina for his bipartisan leadership. i thank the gentleman from virginia. and i yield back to the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. does the gentleman from virginia reserve? mr. scott: mr. chairman, i ask unanimous consent that the statement from the gentleman from michigan, the ranking member of the committee on the judiciary, mr. conyers, be entered into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. scott: and, mr. speaker, i want to thank the gentleman from new york for his comments and for his legislation. i urge my colleagues to support the legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. coble: mr. speaker, i thank the gentleman from new york for his generous words. i appreciate that, mr. israel. and i too yield back. i first ask unanimous consent, mr. speaker, that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and

include extraneous material on h.r. 3626, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. does the gentleman yield back the balance of his time? mr. coble: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the 3626. .r. 3626, -- those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without bjection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 255. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 147, h.r. 255, a bill to amend certain definitions

contained in the provo river project transfer act, for purposes of clarifying certain property descriptions and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, and the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. mcclintock: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. mcclintock: and i'll yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, h.r. 255, sponsored by congressman chaffetz of utah, allows the provo river waters users association to own a canal facility that it has operated and main tanned and repaid for decades -- maintained and repaid for decades. this was the original intent of the public law enacted in 2004 and the passage of this bill would remove existing legal

barriers in order to fulfill that intent. a companion measure by senator hatch passed the natural resources committee in may. the whole matter comes down to this. cat nal was originally an open ly he canal was an original an open canal. it was decided to close the canal, changing it to a pipeline. in order to make it possible for the local water authority to raise nonfral -- non-federal capital to do so, the act wased introduced into 2004 -- was introduced in 2004. now that the enclosure is completed and the time has come to transfer title, as congress directed nearly a decade ago, the bureau of reclamation has opined that by covering the canal, it's technically no longer a canal but rather a pipe facility. it's now different than the facility in existence when congress ordered the transfer of title and therefore doesn't meet the specifications of the

conveyance act. and so only in washington, d.c., we now have this measure before us that changes the facility description in the 2004 act to the, quote, water conveyance facility, historically known as the provo reservoir canal, unquote, so the title transfer can proceed. the passage of this bill would amend outdated legal conditions while accelerating repayments to the u.s. treasury. the legislation continues a positive trend demonstrated by the natural resources committee of economically empowering our communities. the bureau of reclamation supports the bill. i'm unaware of any opposition. i'd urge adoption and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you. mr. speaker, h.r. 255 is a technical correction for the provo river transfer act. this change will allow for the

title transfer of the provo river canal to the provo river water users association. the administration supports the legislation and we do not oppose the bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, i'm now pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the author of the measure, the distinguished member from utah, mr. chaffetz. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. chaffetz: thank you. i simply want to thank broth sides of the aisle. i want to thank mr. mcclintock for allowing us to move this forward. i appreciate mr. grijalva, the ranking member, -- member to the committee, for allowing this to pass. this is truly a technical change. it strikes the term canal and replaces it with water conveyance facility historically known as the provo reservoir canal. the final payment to the federal government of $700,000 will be completed once this bill becomes law. it scores positively, it is

truly a technical change. i appreciate the indulgence of the congress on both sides of the aisle to making this happen and i urge its adoption. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. does the gentleman from california continue to reserve? mr. mcclintock: reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: i'll continue to eserve, mr. speaker. mr. mcclintock: i wonder if the gentleman has any more speakers on this? mr. grijalva: they're not here. mr. mcclintock: do you wish to close? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, i'd urge adoption of the measure and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 255. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to -- the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: on that i'd request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the

yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2388 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title -- title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 142, h.r. 2388, a bill to authorize the secretary of the interior to take certain federal lands located in el dorado county, california, into trust for the benefit of the shingle springs band of the indians and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, and the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. mcclintock: thank you. mr. speaker, i'd ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks

and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcclintock: i yield myself such time as i may a couple of consume. mr. speaker, the shingle springs band of miwok indians occupies a federal reservation in the sierra foothills in el dorado county in california. they lost much of their land when highway 50 was constructed through the reservation several decades ago. they were left with enough land to eventually build a successful casino but at very little additional space for tribal housing. adjacent to their reservation is a 40-acre abandoned and landlocked property. i say abandoned because it was never developed and it's presently dangerously overgrown with scrub brush that's just waiting to become a wildfire, which could rapidly spread either to the existing reservation or to an adjacent residential neighborhood. as it turns out, this abandoned parcel is owned by the bureau of land management. the bureau of land management didn't even know that it owned

the property when the miwok first approached it about the this matter. i'm told the b.l.m. had to be convinced that it does indeed own the land that it has obviously never managed. the miwok would like to aquifere this parcel for the reservation -- acquire this parcel for the reservation, making up for the land they lost to the construction of highway 50. it would be used for tribal housing and the bill specifically for bids its use for gambling, a condition which the shingle springs band has agreed to. the parcel is unintended, overgrown and unused and this land transfer would put it to productive use for reservation housing, a usefully catble -- compatible with adjacent land usages. the tribe will be removing a fire risk for the area. access would be through the existing reservation to avoid any impact on the existing neighborhood and the tribe is committed to working with the nearby homeowners association to ensure that it doesn't affect the rural nature of the community. county board of supervisors,

the land use planning agency with jurisdiction over this land, fully supports the transfer. the administration supports my bill and i urge adoption of the legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you. the shingle springs band of miwok indians is a federally recognized indian tribe with a reservation located 40 miles east of sacramento. the band is currently in need of housing to accommodate its growing membership and identified approximately 41 acres of land currently managed by the bureau of land management for placement into trust. the band anticipates designing a residential community with community buildings and recreational facilities within that community. and will also consider nongaming economic development as well. h.r. 2388 would authorize the secretary of interior to take the land into trust and would

explicitly prohibit class 2 and class 3 gaming activities on these lands once they are placed into trust. the county of eldorado supports the band in support of b.l.m. property in trust and entered into a memorandum of understanding with the tribe. we support h.r. 2388 and these efforts and we reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: i have no further speakers. reserve the balance of my team. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california be -- reserves. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas is recognized. ms. jackson lee: let me thank the gentleman for yielding and let me rise to indicate my recognition of the importance of this legislation and to support it. and to make the point simply on this bill dealing with the

secretary of interior is to parks, e issue of large urban parks in our respective urban areas as being in the jurisdiction of the secretary of interior, the interior department, because we are losing that parkland because of the inability to collaborate with the federal government on the resources that are so necessary. i recognize we are in sequestration, but i believe that it is important that we collaborate. i wanted to make sure i put that on the record. let me also put on the record as a member of the homeland security committee and ask unanimous consent to introduce these into the record my support for the t.s.a. loose change act, h.r. 1095. my support for h.r. 2719, the transportation security acquisition reform act, and my special support for h.r. 1204, the aviation security stakeholder participation act of 2013 because, in fact, that

stakeholder committee is going to help provide more security for our t.s.a. officers and have stakeholders dealing with issues like phones on airplanes, knives on airplanes, certainly guns are only held by the pilots and the pilot program, but it's going to be able to allow stakeholders to be able to have a real say in aviation security. i think that is a concurrent resolutionly important. let me also acknowledge my support for the undetectable firearms act of 1988 and its extension. i would hope that that bipartisan support along with mr. coble, who we have such great respect for, that bipartisan support will lead us to universal background checks and passes of federal legislation that would require all of us to store our guns. it's nothing difficult to provide or buy a simple safe to store your guns and protect those from undue harm. i thank my colleague for yielding to me.

my understanding is that we are here on the floor of the house to do work. some people find it humorous when members rise to the floor and add additional commentary dealing with their constituency and their work, since i believe in working and i believe in working on behalf of my constituents, very grateful to the gentleman from arizona recognizing the seriousness which i make these points and allowing me to have this time on this legislation. i think all of us can recognize when the floor is opened it is opened for members to come and make serious commentary about the work that they would hope this congress would be able to do. i guess i close by simply saying gentleman.hank the he has many capacities, co-chair of the progressive caucus. i want to thank him for his leadership on immigration reform and for those of us who are down with the families, i again say that we pray for them, we pray that the hearts of this congress will be touched, that we will be able to, as well, finish and complete comprehensive immigration reform.

something my constituency is also now praying for on the steps of city hall. i yield back to the gentleman. thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas yields back. without objection, your requested placements in the record will be granted. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: mr. speaker, we yield back the remainder of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, i want to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for their support of this legislation and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 238le, as amended -- 2388, as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is thravenlt -- is laid upon the table. without objection, the title is amended. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1963, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the

clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1963. a bill to amend the water conservation and utilization act to authorize the development of nonfederal hydropower and issuance of leases of power privileges at projects constructed pursuant to the authority of the water conservation and utilization act, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, and the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. mcclintock: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: so ordered. mr. mcclintock: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, h.r. 1963 by congressman danes montana, seems to start at the reclamation projects. nonfederal

hydropower development of these condue its and provides administrative and regulatory reforms necessary to foster such development. earlier this year the house passed h.r. 678 by congressman tipton and costa by a 416-7 vote. to promote conduit hydropower development at reclamation facilities. h.r. 678 applied to hundreds of recreation facilities that are covered under the authors of the reclamation project act of 1939. this measure applies to the remaining reclamation facilities all of which are governed under the different and more complex authorities of the water conservation and utilization act of 1939. the tipton bill provided for a streamlined regulatory process in part by providing a categorical exemption for redundant environmental reviews. the wcua actually forbids the installation of small hydroelectric generators in the

projects regulated under this act and thus the need for this separate legislation. the arguments in favor of getting the federal government out of the way so that private contractors can lease existing federal pipelines and canals for the purpose of installing small hydroelectric generators is evidenced by the overwhelming bipartisan vote accorded the tipton bill earlier this year. that bill was signed into law a few months ago and i'm told it's already produced a flood of new applications for clean and cheap, small hydroelectric generators. not only as a new source of absolutely clean and inexpensive hydroelectricity been made available, the trshry benefits om the revenues these leases produce. mr. daines' measure completes that work by applying the same policy to the remaining reclamation facilities that fell under the wcua. i commend the gentleman from montana for his leadership on this issue and i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you. e concur with mr. mcclintock's description of the legislation and we have no objections to h.r. 1963. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the author of this measure, the gentleman from montana, mr. daines. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from montana is recognized. mr. daines: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of my bill, h.r. 1963, the bureau of redskin clamation conduit hydropower development equity and jobs act. in congress, one of our top priorities is to secure american energy independence. and as we all so in this institution, we don't always agree on how best to meet that goal. however, hydropower is a clean,

renewable source of energy and finding innovative ways to develop this resource is an area where most of us can agree. i'm grateful that chairman mcclintock and ranking member grijalva support this bill and we are pleased to see the bipartisan spirit behind this piece of legislation. bureau of reclamation projects such as canals, pipelines, and dams play an important role in supplying water to our communities. agriculture is the primary economic driver in my home state of montana, and having a sound and strong irrigation system is critically important to us back home. h.r. 1963 will amend the water conservation and utilization act to allow for conduit hydropower development on 11 bureau of reclamation projects under this act. that includes some in my home state of montana, including the buffalo rapids near mile city, intake project, the milk river project, as well as the mi sewella valley project. with this legislation, our

irrigation systems can also power our homes and businesses. additionally, this bill will help provide revenues to improve critical infrastructure for onmers and ranchers who rely these systems. in montana, balancing energy development with responsible steward ship of our re-- stewardship of our resources is the way we do business in montana. our livelihoods, access to of a tion, and future state for our kids rely on a robust, balanced energy plan that protects our unique landscapes and that's what keeps montanans loving the place we call home. a ky verse energy portfolio helps keep electric prices low for montana families and creates jobs. hydropower is an important part of that puzzle an my bill will help us get there. h.r. 1963 has received strong bipartisan support in committee and i urge the same here today. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

does the gentleman from california continue to reserve? mr. mcclintock: i have no further speakers and reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona virginia tech. mr. grijalva: thank you. yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: i commend the gentleman from montana for his work on this issue. important f most achievements in power development we have had recently. the jump-starting of the small hydropower generators. the k the gentleman from other side of the aisle for his support of the measure and urge its duping. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. yet is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1963 as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid pon the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek

recognition? mr. mcclintock: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1241. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 202, h.r. 1241, a bill to facilitate a land exchange following certain national forest system lands in the inyo national forest and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, and the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes gentleman from california. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcclintock: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, h.r. 1241 authorizes the forest service to acquire two parcels of land outside the boundary of the inyo national forest in exchange for a parcel of national forestland conveyed to the mammoth mountain i ask ski area. the ski area has been operating under a special use permitt,

however acquiring ownership of that parcel under this legislation would allow the ski area to conduct desperately needed renovations to its facilities. at the same time, the forest service would be able to acquire land that it currently leases to operate facilities outside the boundary of the inyo national forest. i urge adoption of this sensible measure authored by congressman paul cook, and reserve the balance of my time. . mr. grijalva: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you. h.r. 1241 would authorize the secretary of agriculture to accept lands out the boundaries of the inyo national forest in eastern sierra in exchange for non-federal lands desirable for the national forest service purposes. if completed the land exchange will result in significant revenue for the federal government. the bill has bipartisan support, including the department of agriculture, and i urge its passage in the house and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, i'm now pleased to yield such time as he may consume to my colleague from california, congressman paul cook, the author of this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. cook: thank you, mr. speaker. h.r. 1241 would facilitate the land exchange in california. it would allow the mammoth mountain ski area to gain 21 acres surrounding the mammoth mountain that it currently leases from the national forest service. in return, mammoth mountain would transfer 1,500 acres of land with a cash equalization payment to the national forest service. this would allow the mammoth mountain to replace and rebuild the mammoth mountain head. after more than 50 years of use, it suffers from poor, deteriorated construction and

its replacement would allow mammoth mountain to continue operating california's premier ski area. this bill is a jocks bill. -- jobs bill. mammoth mountain employment fluct -- fluctuates between a high of 2,500 employees in the winter to down to 650 in the summer. mono county has a population of only 14,000 people. thus this area is by far and above the largest employer in the country. this would help facilitate and would create new construction jobs. but it would also allow the ski area to expand, creating more permanent jobs. and it's also an environmental bill. the 1,500 acres that mammoth mountain would be transferring to the forest service has long protection by local environmentalists. and the forest service. it will end what the inyo national forest supervisor

described as a very, very eminent threat to the scenic basin. the legislation is supported by the county board of supervisors, town console, various chambers of commerce and the eastern sierra land trust. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this vital local bill. and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back. does the gentleman from california continue to reserve? mr. mcclintock: yes, mr. speaker. i have no further speakers and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: mr. speaker, we yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, again, i thank the gentleman for his support of the measure and urge its adoption. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 1241. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the

bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1846, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar, number 203, h.r. 1846, a bill to amend the act establishing the lower east side tenement national historic site and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, and the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. mcclintock: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcclintock: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, h.r. 1846 expands the boundaries of the lower east side tentment historic site to include an additional building purchased in 2007.

this manhattan museum is a national park service affiliated site and therefore it carries no cost to the taxpayers because it's owned and operated by a private foundation. i'd urge its adoption and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. the tenement museum was founded in 1988, and has preserved the history of immigration in manhattan's lower east side for the last 25 years. through the personal experiences of the generations of my grants that have called 91 orchard street home, over 200,000 annual visitors are able to hear the stories of real families that lived in the uilding between 1863 and 1935. h.r. 1846 would expand the boundaries of the current ational park service affiliated site to include two

buildings recently purchased two doors away and would allow the tenement museum to expand the stories they tell. this new building holds an array of untold stories, from the family of holocaust survivors who were allowed in the united states under the first refugee act, and puerto rican and chinese families that were part of the foundation of making new york home to the largest puerto rican community on the american mainland and the largest chinatown in the western hemisphere. the lanking -- ranking member of the small business committee, representative velazquez, is to be commended on her legislation. we support h.r. 1846, urge its passage by the house today and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve. the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield as much time as she may consume to the ranking member of the small business committee, the sponsor of this legislation, the gentlelady

from new york, representative velez cazz. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york -- velazquez. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank the chair mnd and ranking member and especially the ranking member for yielding. i rise in support of this critical legislation and i urge my colleagues to support its passage. throughout our nation, in every city and town, immigrants have been critical to strengthening our communities. for centuries people from every corner of the globe have traveled to the united states to start a new life, work hard, build a future for their children and pursue their share of the american dream. in new york specialy, immigrants have long been -- especially, immigrants have long been an important part of the cultural fabric. whether it is chinatown, little italy, or our burgeoning latino population, immigrants have made our city stronger, a more vibrant place, offering invaluable economic and cultural contributions while shaping the city's identity.

there are numerous ways we pay tribute to immigrants' role in american society. the statue of liberty and ellis island honor the thousands who arrived in new york's ports seeking a greater opportunity and freedom. this past week we celebrated thanksgiving, a holiday that originated with some of our earliest immigrants. in short, symbols of immigration's importance is wovegen throughout our society -- is woven throughout our society. holidays, even our family's histories. in my district, the lower east side tenement building, reminds u.s. residents and visitors alike of the challenges faced by some of our city's earliest immigrants. for 25 years, this local institution has offered interactive exhibits rounting the story of -- recounting the story of 7,000 working class families who inhabited these

buildings. just on the lower east side tenement communities evolved with each successive wave of newly arrived immigrants, the museum tells a wide range of stories, reflecting the diversity of this storied neighborhood. whether it was asian, irish or germen immigrants, -- german immigrants or eastern european jews, these buildings housed generation after generation of new arrivals to our city and our country. this body has previously recognized the museum as significant to our nation's history. in 1998 i worked with my colleagues to pass legislation designating 97 orchard street as an affiliated site of the national parks system. over the years, interest in the museum has grown steadily. today the museum serves 200,000 visitors every year.

including 40,000 school children. this growth in popularity has resulted in demand for additional space. the bill i authored and that we are debating today will help address this need. by making the museum's valuable educational tools available to a wider audience, the bill further honors immigrants' role in our nation's past, present and future. the additional space will also allow the museum to explore more immigrant stories, including the history of holocaust survivors, rebuilding their lives in america. mr. speaker, the immigrant story is the american story. the tenement museum owners, the men, women and children, who came here to carve out a better life, and in the process improved our country through an infusion of new cultures and ideas. h.r. 1846 will ensure the lower east side tenement museum continues, telling the american

story to future generations. i urge my colleagues to support its passage and i thank both gentlemen and i yield back -- no. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. does the gentleman from arizona continue to reserve? mr. grijalva: continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you again, mr. speaker. i yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlelady from new york, ranking member of the joint economic committee, representative maloney. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. mrs. maloney: i thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on this legislation and so many other important areas before our country. i rise in strong support of this bill, h.r. 1846, the lower east side tenement national historic site amendments act, which was authored and introduced by my good friend and colleague, representative velazquez from new york. this legislation will expand

the boundaries of the lower east side tenement national historic site, to include one 103 orchard street which is located just two doors down from the original museum location. tanned will expand -- and it will expand -- because of this it will be able to expand its educational programs and allow more people to learn about our nation's immigrant history. i had the privilege of representing the tenement museum in congress prior to this year, when new congressional boundaries were implemented and i still serve as an honorary trusty of this important institution -- trustee of this important institution and i can say without hesitation that the lower east side tenement museum is one of our nation's most important historic and cultural institutions. in recognition of the important work that they do, the national endowment of the humanities just recently awarded them a $500,000 matching grant.

founded 25 years ago, the museum brings to life the experiences of those immigrant families who settled in one of our nation's most iconic and important neighborhoods, the lower east side. through these stories, the museum tells a story of our great country, a nation of immigrants, and how our national identity is constantly evolving and changing thanks to immigration. over 200,000 people visit the museum each year to learn about these stories and that's not by accident. the tenement museum has found a unique way to personalize and bring to life history through the stories of individual families who actually lived in these buildings and they take rooms and they make one for the irish, one for the greek, one for the jews, they have all these stories and you learn not only the history but the stories of the particular families who lived there.

the original museum building at 97 orchard street tells the progression of our country through the stories of immigrant families from italy, ireland, poland, greiss, austria, russia, germany and lithuania through 1935. the bill before us will allow the museum to expand to a new site so it can tell the stories of jewish holocaust survivors post-1965, chinese families and erto rican families in the 1950's, bringing the immigrant history to the present day. i commend the natural resources committee for reporting out this legislation and the house leadership for bringing it to the floor and my colleague and friend for authoring it and i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1846 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from arizona reserve? mr. grijalva: yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, i'd urge adoption of the legislation and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 1846, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the suspend the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the mobile. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. mcclintock: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2650 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2650, a bill to allow the fond du lac band of the lake sue superior chippewa of the state of minnesota to lease or transfer certain land. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, and the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, i

ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and includeheir remarks and extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcclintock: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, this legislation would ensure that the nonintercorrespond act which limits legal transactions by tribes does not interfere with the fond du lac band of lake sue superior chippewa's tribes' ability to lease, buy, or sell land owned by the tribe. the bill also clearly states that it is not authorized the tribe to sell, transfer, lease, convey, or warrant all or any bytion of land held in trust the federal government. there is precedent for tribes to seek legislation in congress to waive the nonintercourse act for transactions of nontrust land because of an overabundance of caution by both tribal and nontribal parties, i ask for adoption of the bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona virginia tech.

mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you. the fond du lac band of lake superior chippewa and the county of carlton, minnesota, have proposed land exchange involving 1,451 acres of tribal feed land located outside the band's reservation. these lands would be exchanged for tax forfeited state lands of equivalent value that are administered by the -- carlton county but located within the band's reservation ches h.r. 2650 would authorize the land exchange and would allow future land exchanges between the county and the band which has been identified as candidate for similar land exchanges. we support h.r. 2650, urge its passage by the house today. representative nolan is to be commended for his leadership and persistence on behalf of his constituents and district. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california continue to reserve. mr. mcclen tock: i have no further speakers.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona virginia tech. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from minnesota, sponsor of the legislation, mr. nolan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. nolan: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you to my distinguished colleague, congressman grijalva, for his leadership on the committee and management of this bill here in particular. thanks to all those who have worked together in a bipartisan manner to bring this important legislation to the floor of the house here today. in particular, i want to thank natural resource committee chairman doc hastings, former ranking member and now united states senator ed markey, and rrent ranking member peter defazio. as well as my old friend, chairman don young, chairman of the natural resources subcommittee, on indian and alaskan native affairs and ranking member hanabusa. and of course senator al franken of minnesota who shepherded the

companion bill in the senate. i also want to thank karen diver, the chairwoman of the fond du lac band and her colleagues on the reservation business committee, as well as their natural resources management team, reggie, steve, and jack. finally thank you to gregory, the carlton county land commissioner, and the entire carlton county board of commissioners and their staff for their diligence and good faith in negotiating the agreement. we are prepared to ratify here today and of course last but not least my legislative staff assistant, will mitchell. mr. speaker, this bill, h.r. 2650, provides the legally required approval by the congress for an exchange of land between the fond du lac band and the carlton county in my eighth congressional district of minnesota. by way of brief background, federal land allotment policies in the early 20th century played

havoc with an 1854 treaty that set aside the 101,000 acres of reservation land exclusively for the fond du lac band. i would like to point out to my colleagues that as they enter the chamber over here from the west front there is a bust of chief buffalo, the great chippewa chief from the minnesota territory who negotiated this treaty in 1854. and he and fellow band members got in a canoe and they canoed starting in lake superior all wait through the great lakes out to new york city and then took a train from there down to washington to negotiate this treaty, and then of course took a train back to new york and canoed all the way back through the st. lawrence seaway, great lakes, and back to the chippewa

nation in the minnesota territory. as i enter this chamber myself each day, i'm reminded sometimes of the long hard travel that's required to do the right thing representing our people. as i know all the members of this congress are committeed to doing. each day when i enter this chamber i say hi to buffalo and i recommend each of you do the same. i'm not sure,, but when i walked in today i thought i saw a pleasant look of approval if not a little nod that the congress was going to work here today to take care of this legislation because, unfortunately, after that treaty was negotiated homesteaders and others were wrongly permitted to settle on this tribal land and much of which was later forfeited to the county for nonpayment of taxes. the result today is a checkerboard of ownership that

significantly limits both the fond du lac manned and the county's ability to effectively use these lands that they control. under this agreement which meets all the requirements of minnesota law, the fond du lac band will transfer 1,451 acres of land they own outside the fond du lac reservation to carlton county. in return, carlton county will transfer approximately 3,200 of equalland of eke -- value that they now administer within the boundaries of the fond du lac band. it provides space for the band to construct much needed housing for its 6,700 members, as well as provide more area for hunting, gathering, and native activities. additionally, the agreement provides carlton county with valuable new timber and forestry resources. lastly, mr. speaker, i would

point out that h.r. 2650 is modeled on statutes that were passed in this body in 2000 and 2004, allowing the lower sioux indian community in minnesota shakawan community to accomplish similar transactions. it's also my understanding that passage of this bill will greatly help facilitate possible similar transactions between the fond du lac band and carlton county in the future. mr. speaker, i respectfully ask my colleagues to approve this legislation and again thank you to all those who have worked on this for their work in this bipartisan effort to pass this legislation. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. does the gentleman from arizona reserve? mr. grijalva: yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: i urge adoption

of the legislation and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 2650, as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid pon the table. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on motions to suspend the rules previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order. h.r. 55, h.r. 271189, 1204. all by the yeas and nays. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from california, mr.

mcclintock, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 255 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 255, a bill to amend certain definitions contained in the provo river project transfer act for purposes of clarifying certain property descriptions, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 406. the nays are 0. zero are reported as present. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from texas, mr. mccaul, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2719, as amended, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2719, a bill to

require the transportation security administration to implement best practices and improved transparency with regard to technology acquisition programs, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 416. the nays are zero. the zero reported as present. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bills bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from texas, mr. mccaul, to suspend the rules and on h.r. 1204, as amended, which the yeas and nays are being ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1204, a bill to amend title 49 united states code to direct the assistant secretary of homeland security, transportation security administration to establish an aviation security advisory committee, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house

suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 411. the nays are three. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: the ouse will be in order. he house will be in order. >> mr. speaker, my colleagues

-- the speaker pro tempore: the ouse will be in order. the gentleman from new york is recognized. >> mr. speaker, my colleagues, night on forest lane in cold spring, my friend, jim lovell, won't be coming home. his children, brooke and jack and finn and hudson, the youngest, who goes to school with my little girls in cold spring and who's played in my house, will be missing the father they love and the beloved member of the community because he was one of the four victims on the metro north

train that derailed on sunday. mr. maloney: we all are saddened and heart broken by this tragic event, and i stand here with my colleagues from new york to honor the four victims and the dozens of injured. new york lost a devoted father in jim, but, of course, we lost a loving sister in donna smith, a caring nurse from queens a man sic haun, and from montross, and i know nita lowey who represents queen, and ellyol engel who represented the district where the accident concerned and i join with all of you in standing to offer a moment of silence in honor of those killed and of those injured and i ask that we do so now.

thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield such time as she would require to my colleague, mrs. lowey from new ork. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady from new york is recognized. mrs. lowey: i rise to honor the memory of my constituent, james ferrari of montross, new york, who f the four individuals lost their lives in sunday morning's tragedy. he leaves behind a wife, a and r-old daughter

extended family. my thoughts and prayers are with them during this time of pain and grief. for the last 10 years, mr. ferrari commuted six days a week into the city to his job s a building supervisor. he was a hardworking new yorker, totally devoted to his his friend and neighbor told me that he did everything for his family, and now his wife, who is still in shock and daughter, are trying to put all the pieces of their lives together. now congress must do its part to honor all the crash victims by advancing solutions that prevent tragedies like this one from ever happening again.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. mr. engel: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? mr. engel: i ask unanimous consent to address the house and to extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. this horrific tragedy, unfortunately, happened in my district about half a mile from where i live. when a tragedy like this happens, senseless tragedy, we as americans all pull together wherever tragedies occur and whether it's by -- ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. members, please take your conversations out of the chamber. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: and that's what we're doing here this afternoon. we're pulling together in the face of terrible, terrible

tragedy. i know that an investigation is going on from the national transportation safety board, and i hope that in short time we'll know what happened and perhaps we'll be able to take steps to ensure that it doesn't happen again, whether it be by legislation or other types of ways we can ensure that this doesn't happen again. my heart goes out to all the victims and their families of this senseless, senseless tragedy. and we as new yorkers and as americans in times of tragedy always pull together. new york pulled together after 9/11, and we're pulling together after this horrific tragedy as well. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? mr. crowley: mr. speaker, to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. crowley: mr. speaker, i, too, want to rise to mourn the loss of these four individuals and all those injured in this tragic accident. in particular, i want to recognize the family of kisook

ahn of queens. the entire korean american community in queens and throughout the city and the tristate region mourn her loss. she was a resident of my hometown of woodside queens, particularly one of -- want to express our sorrow on her loss and all those who lost their lives or injured, once again, in this tragic event sunday. our thoughts and prayers are with her family and all the victims and their families. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. rangel: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend for one minute, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. rangel: let me thank congressman eliot engel for the compassion he's demonstrated for the families of those that survived, those that were injured and those that have been lost. while all of us are anxious to

see the results of the investigation, we all have to ask ourselves, could this be avoided, and did these people die in vain and what are we going to do about it? it would appear to me the first thing that everyone thinks of is the infrastructure, could this have happened in japan or china or some other industrialized country? it just stresses how important infrastructure is. it's not just a question of looking modern and developing commerce, it's human lives we're talking about. let's not those people that died or injured die in vain. let's look at our bridges, our tunnels, our airports all over our great nation so we can avoid these types of tragedies. i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank my colleagues for coming forward, these

moving tributes. i want to add to those micon dolences and those of my -- my condolences and those of my family. this is a very resilient nation and new yorkers in tough times like these, we come together. every davey thousands might have constituents that -- every day i have thousands of my constituents who ride these trains. i pledge support and those of my district that we ensure that a tragedy like is this is not repeated and i yield back. -- like this is not repeated and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair will entertain further one-minute requests. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, some are trying to create the impression that the only problem of obamacare is the website and the experts

will soon fix that. mr. duncan: actually the biggest problem with the so-called affordable care act is that it is unaffordable. we are already having trouble paying for all of the federal medical programs we have now. the costs of all our federal medical programs have been greatly underestimated at the start. now with many millions more losing their coverage than the administration predicted, added to the millions previously uninsured, the costs of obamacare are already estimated at possibly four times more than when it was passed and it is not even fully in place. and since it took 3 1/2 years to even get a screwed-up website partially ready, most people don't believe the federal government can run our health care system efficiently in the first place. more bureaucratic, less humane medical care and all at much greater cost to taxpayers at both the federal and state levels. this plan is a mess that will ultimately lead to shortages, waiting periods and a great decline in the quality of american medical care. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back the balance of his time. are there further one-minute equests? the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, for far too long congress has failed to act while the impacts of climate change threaten our security, our economy, our budget and the health of our citizens. in fact, the g.a.o. included climate change in their high-risk rainstorm this year. meaning -- report this year. meaning the g.a.o. thinks it is critical for the federal government to address this financial threat posed by climate change. whether we're talking about federal flood insurance programs, whether we're talking about fema payments. mr. cartwright: climate change undeniably threatens our finances as a nation and as a federal government.

we have to put our partisanship aside and deal with the financial effects of climate change. that's why in the coming months i intend to release a comprehensive climate adaptation bill that will address the need to protect our nation's assets and our citizens from the devastation that is now inevitable due to our already changing climate. mr. speaker, the time has come for congressional action, for our own good and the good of our children and our grandchildren. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: i thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i hold in my hand a simple one-page legislation, h.r. 3626, that passed on the floor of the house today by

voice vote. mr. speaker, it was a gun bill. it was to extend and to ensure that undetectable firearms would be regulated so that plastic guns could not pose a danger to law enforcement or to police. mr. speaker, i wonder why we cannot come together to stop the kind of killings of sandy hook and aurora, by passing universal background checks, or the bill that i introduced which which is the gun safety and storage bill -- i introduced which is the gun safety and storage bills. in the likes of a young man who died at the habbleds of stragers in my -- handles of strangers in my district two weeks ago or the 16-year-old who was shot this past weekend in a local park or two teenagers that died three or four weeks ago while 19 were shot at a house party. all using guns got on the underbelly of life. not stopping cache houses or keeping guns from going to one

hand to another without a background check. a simple bill was passed, mr. speaker. i ask, is there any heart in this congress to pass reasonable gun safety regulation to save the lives of our children and to stand against violence, gun violence? enough is enough. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. are there further one-minute requests? seeing none, under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from california, mr. garamendi, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority eader.

mr. garamendi: thank you, mr. speaker. we have an opportunity today to talk about some things that are really important to america. i want to start really with is quote by franklin roosevelt. it kind of talks about where i'm coming from and i think where we really ought to be going as a nation right now and i'll try to explain this in a few moments. and then move on to what we can do to -- on what we can do to really deal with this problem that we have in our nation of income inequality, lost opportunity, or the absence of opportunity. f.d.r. said the test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is rather whether we provide enough for those who have too little.

in america today, there are many, many americans that have ar too little. one out of four children in america goes to bed hungry at night. unemployment remains at a peak evel, somewhere north of 7%, 8%. real unemployment, that is the unemployment of people that would like to work more, would like to have a full-time job, remains very, very high. what can we do about it? well, we can think about the great american ideal, the dream, the american dream. and this gentleman pretty well laid it out. this bill -- this is bill clinton. in talking about the american

dream. he said, if you work hard and play by the rules, you'll have the freedom and the opportunity to pursue your dreams and leave your kids a country where they can chase theirs. so between these two presidents, i think we lay out a philosophy. that's well worth our attention. make sure those who have little have an opportunity and we pay attention to their needs and that we make sure the american dream is always in place. let's talk about that dream. how about the dream of going to college? college education. the ideal american education is open to everyone, in reality, in 2007 one half of the children from wealthy households completed college.

only 9% of the children from low-income households completed colonel. -- college. this gap is widening and ntinuing to widen since 2007 and obviously since 1989. the american dream. h.m. -- hm. ow about this dream. f.d.r. also talked about the four freedoms and one of them had to do with freedom from want. in of the american dream, reality, as a result of the great recession in 2010, a total of 46.2 millions -- americans were below the poverty level. the highest number in 52 years. the american dream denied.

when we talk about the american dream and we talk about what roosevelt said about those who have much vs. those who have ittle, so what's going on in america today? income inequality is growing. the ideal, you work hard, you'll do ok. 93rd lity, the u.s. ranks in the world in income inequality. behind great britain, australia , nigeria, argentina and japan. the american dream. you work hard, you'll do ok. the reality, income inequality in the united states is greater than the income inequality in

nigeria, yes, it is. so what are we going to do? ere's what we are doing. since the great recession, the recovery has been slow. we democrats have some answers to what to do about that recovery and we'll get to that in a few moments. but i think we need to understand what's happened in the last five years. e've seen the economy grow every quarter since 2009, the economy has grown. the private sector economy has grown. where did that wealth grow? where did it go? where did the wealth of this nation go? 95% of the wealth generated in his nation since 2009 has gone

o the top 1% of americans. the remaining 95% have had to split what was left. during the clinton economy, it was reversed. top 1% took 45% and the bottom 95% -- excuse me, the bottom 99% took the remaining. 1% took 95%, 99% were left with 5%. income inequality. what do we do about it? how do we achieve the goals of president clinton when he talked about the american dream ? how do we achieve the goals of f.d.r. when he talked about our purpose, not to provide more for those who have great but to

provide for those who have little? how can we do it? well, one way we can do it is along -- is a long american tradition dating back to george washington. in his first year in office, george washington called upon alexander hamilton, his treasury secretary, to figure out how to grow the american economy. they were interested in manufacturing. the united states was basically exporting raw materials to great britain. george washington wanted to build the american economy. so he said, alex, give me a plan. so alexander hamilton came back a couple months later with a plan, an economic development plan based on manufacturing. and in that economic development plan he said, we need to do about about a dozen things. he said, we need to build the infrastructure of the united states. he said, we need to build

canals, the roads and the ports. he said, we needed to protect american manufacturing and so make sure that there are proper duties and tariffs on imported -- s so that they could not so that they would not overcome american manufacturers but rather level the playing field, so that american manufacturers would have a shot. . he said we needed to make sure that we had good international trade agreements and use the american taxpayer money to buy american manufactured goods. it's all there, so for those who want to pay attention to the founding fathers, they ought to pay attention to what george washington and alexander hamilton talked about in the first days of the first administration of this wonderful democracy we call america.

let's talk for a moment about infrastructure. let's talk about those roads that george washington described, alexander hamilton talked and wrote about in his report. where are we with our infrastructure today? joining me today is my colleague from oregon, who's been working on the infrastructure now for more than a decade, understands the problems that we have in our transportation systems and has a proposal. let me turn now to earl blumenauer of oregon. mr. blumenauer: i deeply appreciate the gentleman from california yielding time to me, and i appreciate his leadership in focusing on where the economy is and where it needs to go. i think it's important to look back in time, because you're

absolutely right. from the founding of the republic, infrastructure loomed large. in the constitution, there's a provision for postal roads, and that years after the plan was developed by alexander hamilton for president washington, there was the gallatin plan that was developed for president jefferson by his secretary of the treasury, albert gallatin. and it had a vision for what would happen for that next american century, and throughout that time infrastructure has been one thing that has brought americans together. it's something that really didn't have a partisan tinge. roosevelt, a republican president, actually

on the anniversary of the centennial of the gallatin plan, had his own vision for what we would do for inland waterways and reforestation, redevelopping america. his cousin, franklin roosevelt, a democrat, was likewise -- helped plant the seeds for the -- that ultimately grew into the interstate freeway act signed into law by president eisenhower, signed into law and funded by president eisenhower. 150 years ago, the transcontinental railroad act, republican president, abraham lincoln. this agenda is something that has made america great. it produced the finest infrastructure in the world. until the last quarter century, america had the best airline, roads, freeways, bridges,

passenger and freight rail systems anywhere in the world. unfortunately, we have not kept pace with our responsibility. we have not raised the gas tax for the last 20 years. that was part of the clinton plan in 1993 that helped kick ff an unparalleled eight years of economic prosperity. we face a situation now where the bottom is about to fall out of transportation funding. we have not heeded the call of ther bipartisan commissions, for republican and democratic presidents alike, to provide the transportation resources that would enable us to have a robust re-authorization of the

transportation bill. in fact, the best the last congress could do was a short-term 27-month extension that was kind of kept together by chewing gum and bailing wire, and that funding runs out in less than 10 months. , d what that means, october 1 next year, transportation funding for roads will drop 92% if we just rely on the cash flow that goes into the depleted highway trust fund. transit funding is eliminated. over the course of the next 10 years, we will see a 30% reduction in already inadequate funding for the federal partnership. now, we kept this afloat by transferring $55 billion of

general fund, borrowed money. we were able to get a little bit of infrastructure in the recovery act, and the last congress did a little budget magic in terms of changing some provisions for pension funds that resulted in an uptick in general fund revenue that we used, transferred to sort of get through the next 10 months, but it's not adequate. it's not the signal the private sector needs. it's not the signal that our partners in state and local government need to be able to undertake the significant projects that will make a difference. if we really care about putting people to work, the fastest way to create hundreds of thousands of family wage jobs is to adequately fund our infrastructure. family wage jobs in every state in the union that will start in a matter of months.

if we care about american competitiveness, we will invest in infrastructure so that we can compete with the developments that are taking place around the world. if we care about the health of our communities, we will invest to deal with problems of deteriorating roads and bridges, problems of fraying infrastructure, inadequate transit, not having safe conditions for our children to bike and walk safely to school. while the discussion takes ace about the budget deficit and this fiscal cliff or another, i think it's time that we take a look at the infrastructure deficit and the transportation cliff that we face in less than 10 months. tomorrow, i'll be introducing some legislation -- and i'm pleased that i'll be joined by

leaders from labor, from the chamber of commerce, construction, the professions, engineering, local government, a wide array of people who are willing to step up and join congress to try and more realistically solve this problem. and i can't say how much, mr. garamendi, i appreciate your tireless advocacy for rebuilding and renewing america, for dealing with manufacturing here, for putting americans back to work at a persistent too long-term unemployment and particularly in the building and construction trades where we've -- architects and engineers where we've seen people literally decimated. i look forward to working with you as we go forward, hopefully in this congress, that we don't

dodge our responsibility any further. mr. garamendi: mr. blumenauer, there's no doubt you've taken up the responsibility. you've been a leader on this issue of transportation, how we can fund it, what we must do. i was -- i guess i knew but i didn't realize it was coming so quickly that we would fall off the transportation cliff that the next fiscal year, 10 months from now, the transportation programs funded by the federal government simply run out of money. 90% or more of the funding will be gone, is that -- did i understand that correctly? mr. blumenauer: if we rely simply on current cash flow, in the next fiscal year, we will see a 92% reduction in highway funding and the transit budget

will be zeroed out. and over the next 10 years, with the current revenue level, we will see a 30% reduction below the current inadequate levels. mr. garamendi: just before we came on the floor to talk about this issue of inequality in america and how we might deal with it, we heard our colleagues from the state of new york talk about the tragic transit accident that occurred. in listening to them, a couple of the members talked about the need for rail improvement, upgrading the rail system in new york. if i am to hear you correctly, unless we provide additional revenue in the transportation funding program, there will be no money to upgrade the rail systems in new york or anywhere else around the united states. mr. blumenauer: well, we do not have a current revenue stream

that is adequate for rail modernization. simple. we had some additional money, again, in the recovery act which -- although -- mr. garamendi: that runs out. mr. blumenauer: although modest by international standards, was a significant shot in the arm. but as you point out, that is running out. you know, it's interesting, i had the opportunity a few years ago in a trip to china to ride their high speed trains. in 2009 there were no high speed trains in china. next year, they will carry more passenger traffic than the entire american aviation system. mr. garamendi: amazing. mr. blumenauer: this can be done. other countries are doing it. i was referring to the transportation -- surface transportation piece, but there

are certainly needs for rail modernization and safety and frankly what's underground is in worse condition than what we see on the surface. we leak more water in america than we drink. every day it's the equivalent of six billion gallons of water, enough to fill olympic size swimming pools, 9,000 of them, from washington, d.c. to pittsburgh. so i deeply appreciate your courtesy in permitting me to share a few minutes with you on the floor this evening. i deeply appreciate your unstinting advocacy for making it in america, doing it right, putting our families back to work, strengthening the economy and making our communities more vable, our families safer, healthier. mr. garamendi: mr. blumenauer, you bringing about a

legislation that would help finance the systems we need to build, we talk about immediate jobs. in talking about those immediate jobs, for every dollar that we would invest in transportation infrastructure, you get $1.59 of economic growth immediately back. and so dealing with those, mr. blumenauer, i know that you have to go, you have another meeting. mr. blumenauer: a transportation meeting. sorry. mr. garamendi: thank you for bringing this critical tention to -- critical issue to our attention. mr. blumenauer: thank you. mr. garamendi: if we make that critical investment, if we follow the leadership of mr. blumenauer where we actually collect the money that's needed for our systems and put those dollars to work in america, several very, very important things will happen in the american economy. first of all, you lay down the foundation for immediate and future economic growth. you cannot grow the economy if

you cannot move goods, services and people across the nation. in my state of california, we understand what gridlock is. now, we've got gridlock here in congress. that's political gridlock, but in california when you talk about gridlock, you're talking about sitting on a freeway going nowhere. you're talking about shipments of goods in and out of the ports that are delayed because they cannot get to the rail systems, they cannot get to the highways of america because of gridlock at the ports. we have enormous necessity to lay in place the transportation infrastructure that can then allow the american economy to grow. that's point one. point two is, in doing that infrastructure improvement, if we use the american taxpayer dollars -- in this case,

collecting the excise tax on gasoline and fuel -- if we use that money to buy american-made equipment, we can generate an additional economic growth model and that is the re-establishment of the american manufacturing system. 20 years ago, we had about somewhere between 19 million and 20 million americans in manufacturing. . making all kinds of things from caterpillar bulldozers and graters and loaders to farm equipment, to airplanes and technology systems, from computers and the like. . thatches 20 years ago. today -- that was 20 years ago. today there are just over 11 million in the manufacturing sector. we've lost nine million manufacturing jobs in america. those are the heart and soul of american middle class. that's where a mother or father could get a job, provide the income for their family, buy a

home, buy the car, the boat, take the vacation, send their kids to college. that was where the american middle class found its foundation. it's been decimated by a number of policies that were enacted by previous congresses and by a lack of attention. all across this nation to the foundational imperative of manufacturing. so we have been talking here for more than 2 1/2 years now about a make it in america agenda. if we're going to finance our transportation systems, then add to that a clause that says, the material, the bridges, the steel, the concrete, the equipment will be american-made. it will be made in america. and in doing so we can go right back to alexander hamilton and

george washington who wrote the first economic development plan for this nation and said, use the american taxpayer money to support american industries. hey, i'm with alex and george. they were correct. use our taxpayer money to support american businesses, buy america, make it in america . and it works. let me give you an example. in sacramento, california, near my district is a manufacturing plant that was expanded, actually doubled in size in the last two years. it was doubled in size to build electric locomotives for amtrak on the east coast corridor. between washington, d.c., and boston. about 80 new locomotives are going to be built in sacramento, california, because in the stimulus bill, the recovery act, somebody,

probably a staffer, maybe a senator, maybe a member of congress, wrote in one sentence and said this $700 million-plus for the locomotives will be spent on american-made equipment. 100% american-made. american companies looked at that, shrugged their shoulders. a germen company -- jerman company, siemens, said -- german company, siemens, said, we can do it. siemens took their light rail manufacturing plant in sacramento, took that contract, doubled the size of their plant, doubled the size of their work force and is now building 1 puners -- 100% american-made locomotives in sacramento, california, where 100 years ago they used to build locomotives. now they're doing it again. why?

because somebody went all the way back to the very first president, took something that he said and it was, we're going to spend american taxpayer money on american-made goods. in this case, american-made locomotives. think about it. think about the potential. think about the potential that if we were to really invest in infrastructure, if we were to follow mr. blumenauer's piece of legislation, take the money, invest in the roads, invest in our freeway, rebuild the bridges of which more than 6,000 are about to fall down or could fall down in the united states, repair, rebuild, expand . allow the foundation of economic growth to grow and use that taxpayer money for american jobs, buying american-made equipment. think of the possibilities.

think of the possibilities. think back to where we started this conversation. delano roosevelt . that it is our task not to add to -- add more to those who have much but rather to add to those who have little. those men and women in the construction trades that have lost their job, where unemployment is well over 30%, 40%, think about them being able to get that middle class job, building the infrastructure. think about the manufacturers out there, the small businesses, the large businesses, the supply train that siemens has set up all across this nation, to provide the electronics, to provide the electric motors and all of the steel. that huge supply train. think about what could be done. if we put in place policies today here in the united states

congress to build our infrastructure, to use our taxpayer money for american jobs. that unemployed individual that's now on food stamps, perhaps on a welfare check, getting a job in that manufacturing sector, that's providing that tool that's going to be used on that locomotive. think about that unemployed family, that construction worker from the operating engineers that's been sitting on the sidelines surviving on , d stamps and on assistance being able to go back to work, sitting on that caterpillar tractor that's manufactured in america, providing the income necessary for his family. and providing the taxes necessary for the growth of this nation's ability to reduce

its deficit. it's possible. we can do this. we can rebuild america. we can compete with anybody. there's no other culture in the world that is so entrepreneurial, so driven to succeed. but here we are. 435 of us caught up in a gridlock where we can't do anything, where the transportation bill languishes, where the farm bill languishes so that our farmers don't know what to plant next year. this has got to end. we've got to stop this. we need to think back on those giants of america's past. george washington told alexander hamilton, give me a manufacturing program for the united states, an economic development program. alexander hamilton came back, we need to build ports, roads,

canals. we need to protect american industry with wise laws and trade laws. we need to have a tax policy that encourages investment and we need to make sure that we're using the tax money to buy american-made. think back on jefferson who told his treasury secretary, give me a plan for the next century. the 18 hub's -- the 1800's. an economic development plan. and teddy roosevelt and then franklin roosevelt. eisenhower. men of vision, leaders of vision that were willing to step forward, willing to use the resources of this nation, collecting those resources and dispensing those resources across the nation, to build the foundation for economic growth.

the make it in america agenda is available to us today. that agenda is a trade policy that protects american industry. not a free trade that gives it away, but a fair trade policy that protects american industry , a tax policy that encourages economic growth here in the united states. that rewards corporations for bringing it home and ends tax breaks for corporations that ship the jobs offshore. an energy policy that utilizes the great energy capacity of this nation, everything from conservation and wind and solar and indeed the petroleum products. we need that energy policy in place today so that the wind industry in the united states, which is a huge industry in my district, can count on tomorrow's tax policy, which

will end in less than a year. so they're not building. and when we give a tax credit for solar and wind, we give a tax credit for wind, or to the oil industry, we tell them, you only get that tax credit when you buy american-made solar panels, wind turbines and the like, because after all, they're using american taxpayer money. we need a labor policy so that we can re-educate those men and women that will no longer have a job in an industry that is no longer in existence. we need to make sure that labor has a fair shot and in the labor policy we absolutely must raise the minimum wage. that holds up the floor. and deals with the issue of poverty in america. education, research, infrastructure. this is the make it in america agenda. this is the agenda that we can grow jobs in america. this is the agenda that can

ddress the american dream. this is the agenda that goes back to what franklin delano roosevelt said when he talked about freedom from want. freedom from want. means that you must be able to get a decent job in america to support yourself and your family. so that the working men and women of america have a shot at the generation of wealth that his country can produce. franklin delano roosevelt said, it is our task not to provide more for those who have much, but to provide for those who have little. and so, when you find that the policies of america have allowed this kind of wealth

distribution to take place over the last five years, you know that those policies need to change. those policies have to change. when 1% of the american population is able to gather 95% of the wealth generated in this nation, between 2009 and 2012, something is terribly wrong with the policies of this nation. and that's what happened. that's what americans have labored for, so that 95% of the wealth generated by the men and women who work in america winds up in the hands of 1% of this population. we've got some policy problems. we have to deal with this. if you believe what bill clinton said about the american dream, being able to provide for your family, being able to provide that education, being

able to make things better not only for yourself but for the next generation, then this kind of issue has to be dealt with. this is a fundamental economic problem. the growth of this economy is dependent upon the ability of the american workers to have an income so that they can pursue their dream and when the wealth winds up with this kind of a skewed situation, the 95% are not able to become the consumers to buy the home, to buy the car, to develop the opportunities that they need for their family. how can we deal with this? well, one way we heard about today. we heard from mr. blumenauer about the necessity of building our transportation system so that the foubdation for economic growth -- foundation for economic growth is in place. the transportation system. we need to do that. in doing so, we'll put americans back to work with

those good, middle class jobs for working american families. and we need to put in place a make it in america policy. trade, taxes, energy, labor, education, research, infrastructure. that's our agenda. it's our agenda for growth in america. it's also our eath for dealing with the -- agenda for dealing with the deficit. you want to deal with the deficit, put americans back to work. watch that tax money come into the coughers of this nation's treasure -- coffers of this nation's treasury. it will happen. but you keep a large percentage of americans out of work, you keep them at low wages and you keep them unemployed, we're not going going to be able to deal -- we're not going to be able to deal with the deficits. go back to work, americans, and you deal with the deficit. how do you do that? infrastructure, trade policy, make sure your tax policy's in place, that encourages economic growth and investment and all the rest. we can do this.

we can do this. we're america. we've done this in the past. we've had leaders in the past that have talked about these things. and done them. we've had congress in the past that listened to their own leadership, to those in their -- among their caucuses that said, let's get on with it. let's build for the future. those leaders are here, not at this moment, but they're here on this floor day after day. they know, they understand. you want to deal with the deficit, put americans back to work. you want to you want to deal with the american dream, give them a good job, raise the minimum wage so that every working person can at least provide food on their table and shelter for them and their family. it's all possible. this isn't something new to america. this is what america's done before, and this is our job. this is our job. the congress of the united

states, the senate, the administration, that's what we're here for, that's our job. mr. speaker, i yield back my remaining time. first, i got to talk with one other thing and that is another hallenge that we face and that challenge is about climate change. this is real, folks. this is not something that a bunch of scientists have dreamed up. this is a very, very real issue for this world. many of the policies that we talk about here can go directly to the issue of climate change. i represent 200 miles of the soorkt river valley, -- sacramento river valley at the beginning of san francisco bay, 0 miles up, past the city of sacramento, past the cities of yuba city, mary'sville, all the way to chico, an area that is

the most flood prone areas in america. climate change is going to increase rainfall, maybe not the total rainfall throughout he year but the incidents of heavy, extraordinary downpours will increase. not too many wrant to ascribe the recent -- want to ascribe the recent typhoon in the philippines a climate issue, but there is evidence that increasing storms are a result of climate change and it figures. more heat, more moisture, more storms, more prescription. it's all there. so as we go forward dealing with these issues of economic development, of infrastructure, we need to keep in mind the issue of climate change and its immediate effect.

droughts in some areas where there weren't droughts before, floods in areas where there's need to put in the infrastructure. in the case of my district, the infrastructure of levees. my constituents are at risk. my constituents need the federal government to pass a water resource development act that provides the foundation and the authorization for levee improvements and they need the appropriations. they need the money. it's our task to keep america safe, whether that's from some military threat from somewhere in the world or from some natural threat. for example, extreme storms, extreme flooding. making sure the infrastructure, the levees and the protections for our citizens are in place. i want us to deal with that. as we put together the water resource development act where

i have the privilege of being on the conference committee, we intend to do our best to make sure that the authorization for those projects necessary for water development as well as flood protection are in place. and then we must go about the task of finding a way to pay for it. mr. blumenauer is introducing a bill tomorrow to find a way to pay for the transportation systems. we need to do the same for the water infrastructure systems. we cannot neglect this task. it's our job. mr. speaker, i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from georgia, mr. gingrey, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. gingrey: mr. speaker, i thank you for the recognition

-- this time and to spend talking to my colleagues on behalf of the majority, the republican majority in the house of representatives about e continued problem with obamacare and with healthcare.gov website. the promise to congress and to the american people was that by november 30 -- excuse me -- the last day of november, the end of november, that the website would be fixed, that people would not have any problems whatsoever getting enrolled for obamacare on the government-created healthcare.gov website. well, the administration has said, mr. speaker, that the problems that people had been

faced with for the last two months -- of course, the rollout was october 1 -- had been essentially solved, that 80% of folks now could get health care, could complete their application, would not get kicked off the system with an error message. but what they don't say is that 80% of what? they go on to admit that 40% of the website, mr. speaker, has yet to be developed. and the law was signed into effect -- and we all know this, colleagues -- was signed into effect on march 23, 2010. well, today is, what, december 3, 2013, over three years, 3 1/2 years essentially, to get this done. and it wasn't ready. it was a colossal failed rollout on october 1 even

though $600 million, mr. speaker, had been spent to create this website. and that's what you get when you have a massive 2,600-page bill that was rushed through almost in the dark of night at the 11th hour in december of for hen it was not ready primetime. obviously this website was not ready for primetime. so it is incredibly concerning that the obama administration has continued, mr. speaker, full speed ahead on the rollout of a system even after numerous warnings from vendors and from members of congress on both sides of the aisle in both chambers, the house and the senate. the website has led to confusion in the insurance marketplace as well as put customers and consumers,

patients, really -- i say that as a practicing physician for over 30 years in the great state of georgia -- the website s led to confusion and put consumers' personal information at risk due to also lacked security protocols. it's not that this health care information, which is act row sanket under the hipaa -- sacrosanct under the hipaa law, financial information, as an example so i am still extremely concerned about the security risk adherent with this website. % is fixed but 80% of 60% is 48%. so it's 52% not fixed after 3 1/2 years. last month's house energy and commerce committee

healthcare.gov data security hearing -- i'm a member of that hearing, the health subcommittee. other members and i heard testimony on the obama administration's efforts to protect private citizens' sensitive health care data on the online marketplace. hearing recent concerns that the site would become a central target for these so-called genius hackers and online thieves, we must make protection of personal data one of the top priorities going forward. healthcare.gov's rollout has been completely unacceptable, and we must work to ensure that the site's data security operations aren't fumbled as well as it would be an even bigger disaster for the american people already faced with the other consequences of the law, including higher premiums and the likelihood that they will be unable to see

the doctors which they are accustomed, the hospitals which they are accustomed to going to. this disruption is unbelievable, mr. speaker, and it's probably why senator orrin hatch from utah, back when this bill was signed into law by president obama, said in his experience -- and he's got lots of experience. been in both chambers. is the worst bill he's ever seen in his lifetime as a member of congress and as a member of the senate and i definitely agree with him. the obama administration pro claimed sunday -- proclaimed sunday, just this past, that it would work smoothly for the vast majority of users, and that's a quote. but upon closer examination, mr. speaker, this is not the case. n fact, meeting the goal

checked a political box rather an the faulty website, these are few of the problems, my colleagues, these are the few of the problems that remain. site engineers, get this, have a disguised gimmick of error messages that were frustrating consumers so much. people will be placed, what they call, a chewing system, a line cueing up, rather than seeing an error message if the site is unbelievable. that supposedly would make people less frustrated if they know they have a place in line rather than seeing this big old error message that i just saw probably 30 minutes ago, mr. speaker, when i went, tried to go online, healthcare.gov, put in all the information that they asked me to put in and as you know, all members of congress have to go into the

district of columbia health link -- exchange. we have to. we can no longer, january 1, be eligible to be on the federal employee health benefit plan. i don't really mind that because i thought from the very beginning what is good for the goose is good for the gander. i think the president himself , l go on the d.c. website health link exchange, and i had recommended that with an amendment back when the bill was first being debated. but as i said, the white house claims that the site can now handle all of these sites, 50,000-person capacity limit. but the number is untested and it falls short of the volume needed to be on track to reach president obama's one-year, seven million people signup goal. seven million people heretofore had not had health insurance or

maybe they got kicked off of their health insurance plan because the promise of if you like your health plan you can keep it has not been kept. many people, unfortunately, very many people, something like five million, have already been notified that they're not going to be able to keep their health care insurance even though they like it. many health insurance professionals and public officials have gone public. they have reported that the site isn't anywhere near ready for primetime, and as much as 40%, as i said earlier, of the site has yet to be built. my hometown newspaper in atlanta, georgia, "the atlanta journal constitution," included a headline today, and i quote, new and improved? not so much, some georgians find, end quote. and they went on to highlight three of the most glaring examples. i'm going to give -- colleagues, i'm going to give

you a couple of the examples in the interest of time. alforetta, georgia, shopping online, he's faced roadblock after roadblock in his quest to sign up for coverage through the marketplace. he's paying nearly $2,800 a month for health insurance for himself, his wife and their son, three people, and hasn't been able to shop around for years because he has a pre-existing condition. the health law was expected to offer him much more affordable options. "the atlanta journal constitution" has been closely following his experience since the marketplace opened on october 1. you won't -- colleagues, you're not going to believe what i'm

going to tell you. just listen to this. on saturday, the marketplace website still failed him just this past saturday, but he believed he had a break through after a telephone operator said she could process the application that he had been working on for two months and sent his information over to humana. he could call humana monday to arrange payment, she said. and this is a quote from him. they told me you're good, you're all set, he said. when he called humana monday morning, the insurer said, it had no record of his application. the insurer's phone rep said she had reverend the issue -- she'd research the issue and call him back. she called him back but with bad news. after further research, she still found no record of his application. he called healthcare.gov back, and the telephone rep, mr.

speaker, insisted he was enrolled with humana but could offer him no way to prove it. . quote, humana said check by them by the end of the week and maybe it will mysteriously appear, end quote. let me give you another one, colleagues. greg from my hometown of marietta, georgia. greg is an early retiree who buys his own health insurance and has also been trying -- trying to shop for coverage for himself and his wife since the day the health insurance marketplace opened, again, october 1, what is it today? december 3. well, the atlanta constitution has also, and i thank them for this, that due diligence, they have been closely following his experience. he has run into a series of frustrating obstacles.

on monday he noticed that the website was quicker. they said that it was quicker. now handling 50,000 people at a time. and that its appearance had changed. its icons looked different. he tried to access his application that had been completed over the phone with the representative so he could finally get to the step of actually selecting a plan. but the application wasn't visible on the site. now, this was just monday. what is today? use it? yesterday -- tuesday? yesterday. he called and went through another lengthy process to be told again what he's heard before. he can't see the plans on the site but the operator could read plan information to him. greg isn't comfortable making the decision without seeing all the options in writing.

the supervisor handling his call told him she could put in a work order and someone would call him back. she'd put in a work order. greg said, he's made such a request five times since the marketplace opened and has yet, mr. speaker, has yet to get a response. now, who is greg? well, he's a former college professor and he has a doctorate degree, he's a ph.d. he said he has probably spent more than 80 hours on the obamacare application process without being able to actually shop for a plan. that didn't change on monday with the improvements to the marketplace website that -- improvements to the marketplace website that you're hearing this administration, president obama and secretary sebelius, saying, we're there. we spent $600 million, it didn't work, so we brought in

new people, new really bright gurus and they've been working 24/7 over the last three or four weeks and now we've got it fixed. and we don't have it fixed. 40% of it hasn't even been uilt and 80%, that means 20% absolutely are going to be in a terrible bind come january 1. if they have lost their health insurance coverage that they previously had, and they don't have any coverage, in other words, they're just going bare. they don't intend to do that. they wanted to keep the insurance they had because they liked it. they found out that that was not true. i'll be kind and use the word mendacity rather than a lie. but it was pure mendacity. they weren't able to keep it. so if you can't then sign up

during that five-week period, which is over monday, this coming monday, you can't get signed up and have coverage by january 1. well, my goodness gracious, what if your child gets run over by a car or you have a heart attack in the two weeks, a month, however much time it takes after january 1 to finally, if you're in that 20% group, to finally get coverage? by that time you are truly, if you survive, you're bankrupt because of medical expenses that are not covered. these stories were printed in the as a.j.c." mr. speaker. there are plenty of others that have -- in the "a.j.c." mr. speaker. there are plenty of others that have not been published. let me share with you a few other stories from my constituents back in the 11th

conditioningal district of georgia, about the lack -- congressional district of georgia, about the lack of affordable options obamacare offers them. mike told me that obamacare has been a financial disaster for his family. it used to cost him just under $300 a month to cover his wife and daughter on their insurance plan. but under obamacare, even that lowest level plan, the bronze plan, you know there are four, four choices, gold i guess is the most expensive in coverage, the most things, probably has the highest deductible, but under that bronze plan, instead of $300 a month, now he's going to pay, mr. speaker, $700 a month and guess what? his deductible, his deductible is $5,000. so he has to pay $5,000 out of pocket before insurance kicks in. .e's paying $400 more a month

hat's $4,800 plus the $5,000 -- his new plan under obamacare, because he's not eligible for any subsidy, is costing him about $10,000 more a year. teresa from cartersville and her husband, one of my great counties in my district, the 11th, teresa from cartersville and her husband told me that their premium is increasing from $550 to more than $900 per month. that's almost, mr. speaker, a 40% increase. robert from metro atlanta told me that even though they were underwritten in june, his wife's policy has increased a month. to $557 and that increase is 30%. it's getting a little better ut, gee, 30% increase.

when president obama talked about this great new health care plan, the affordable care act, patient protection and affordable care act, he said that on average families would see a $2,500 per year reduction in what they're paying for health care. mr. speaker, let's go back to the word mendacity. nothing could be further from the truth. the average increase is probably $2,500 a month, not a decrease. this is truly unacceptable. with new mandates in insurance market, concerning essential health benefits, premiums have to increase. and now we finally find out that ms. pelosi was absolutely

right. wait until you read it and find out what's in it. where she was wrong is she said, then you would like it. i don't think too many people -- i think the latest number, mr. speaker, that i read, the statistic, was 61% of people today are opposed to obamacare. 61%. that's a lot. hat means 39% either don't have an opinion either way or are not sure are maybe they approve of it. but those are dismal, dismal numbers. we have seen more insurance policies canceled than created as consumers are faced with this sticker shock. all in the name of a bill that was sold to the american people as a way to lower the uninsured rate. another statistic that i read

just recently, and this is very firblee -- verifyble. when this bill was being talked about again, back in 2009, shortly after mr. obama became our 44th president, it was estimated that there was something like 47 million people in this country, mr. speaker, who through no fault of their own except couldn't afford it didn't have health insurance. well, when you really go through those numbers and i have a book with me that i'm going to reference and i want to give proper attribution, the name of the book is "the top 10 myths of american health care: a citizen's guide." maybe it could be a patient's guide. and this is written by sali pipes -- sally pipes. and she talks about in this

book, she talks about that 47 million. something like 15 million of hose 47 million make more than $50,000 a year. indeed, some make more than $75,000 a year, mr. speaker. and they've just decided that they don't want health insurance, that they will pay as they go. and there's nothing wrong with that. i don't advise it. i think everybody should at least have catastrophic coverage. but be that as it may, this is america. we have to insist on enjoying our liberties, to do what we want to do with our hard-earned tax dollars and our own money. and there are probably 10 million, maybe, of these that don't have health insurance that are in this country illegally. and there may be another six million, eight million, maybe even 10 million of that 47 million who are eligible for a

safety net program like medicaid. and they just have not gotten their proper information or not bothered to go find out if they were eligible and a lot of the people that are signing up now are those individuals. so when you get right down to it, there were probably not 47 million but about 15 million that were falling through the cracks. so what we have done is thrown out a market-driven health care system that's not perfect, guarantee you i agree with that, it's too expensive and, yes indeed we republicans have some other ideas and i'm going to yield, mr. speaker in just a minute to my -- mr. speaker, to my -- mr. speaker, in just a minute to my colleague, the gentleman from tennessee, representative dr. phil roe and he's going to talk about some of those republican

alternatives. or maybe even democratic alternatives. because i think that's what it's going to come to. i think we're going to have to repeal this law and not be embarrassed about it. you know, if you make a mistake, you made a mistake. and admit it. own up to it. own up to the american people. this is a bad law. and repeal it and start over. but i'm saying, start over in a bipartisan way. and we can do that. and we've got some thoughts on that and i'm going to at this point yield to dr. roe for his comments. mr. roe: i thank the gentleman for yielding. and i appreciate the opportunity to be down here on the house floor today to discuss, mr. speaker, this extremely important issue of health care and the reasons that it is important and it is so important is it affects every single american citizen in a personal way. when i first came here five years ago and as dr. gingrey said, i spent 31 years practicing my trade and

practicing medicine and teaching in a medical school in johnson city, tennessee, and i know that the thing i saw as the biggest issue and problem in health care and dr. gingrey did also was the cost of care. i saw the cost going up and i saw more and more people that didn't have access to affordable health insurance coverage. and i say this as a joke, but it is true, i never have never seen a republican or democrat heart attack in my life. i've never seen a republican or democrat -- never operated on a republican or democrat cancer in my life and i've operated on many of them. these are people issues. and why in the world we passed a partisan health care bill makes no sense to me whatsoever, mr. speaker. i never understood that, now going on five years later. we should have sat down and in a bipartisan way and talked about, as dr. gingrey so eloquently explained, taking care of those 15 million or 20 million people, whatever the number is, we could do that.

let me give you just some data in my own state. in 2011 we had 2.5% of our children in our state that didn't have health insurance coverage. and we're not a wealthy state. and about 10% of the population, one in 10 tennesseans didn't have access to coverage. not everybody had a cadillac plan, but they had basic health coverage. . 700 page is massive, 2, bill, which got read, i hate to admit i read it all, but i did, but we did this, now with tens of thousands of pages of rules and aed no value for patient what is is over. it doesn't pay for anybody's prescription, doesn't pay for their operation, hospitalization, immunizations and so on. none of those things system of mr. speaker, i see the need and certainly the need for health care reform. i totally agree with that. and the premise that if we

repeal the affordable care act, that we go back to where we were. not true at all. what we did, mr. speaker, and again, let me say this, and i believe this to the core of what i did for 30-plus years and i believe it today is that health care decisions should be made between a patient, that patient's family and their doctor. it shouldn't be made by an insurance company, it shouldn't be made by a clerk at the insurance company, shouldn't be made by the federal government. i think the rollout of the affordable care act and one of the problems with that is, and it was absolutely predictable what would happen, because when you listed the essential health benefits, mr. speaker, if you read the bill and ever run a business as i had, you know that you made some changes in your health insurance every year, we did this there was maybe a co-pay or out of pocket or something changed in that bill. new procedure. if you read the bill it said if

those changes in any significant way you lost your grandfathered status. let me -- i apoll use if dr. gingrey has done this but i want to read the essential health benefits that are required for you to buy and purchase. 10 categories. ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn services. let me point out that one of my friends who is a sheriff came to me the other day when i was visiting there and said he had a friend who just lost her insurance because she is 55 years of age, has had a hysterectomy and her insurance plan, which met all of her needs, does not include maternity coverage so she lost her health insurance because as almost 90,000 tennesseans have done. ental health, disorders,

prescription drugs, laboratory services, preventive and wellness services, pediatric services including oral, dental and vision kear. those are things you have to have in a plan or lose your coverage. remember now, that this is only affecting about 18 million or 20 million people. next year, when the employer andate kicks in, the reporting requirement kicks in, many people on erisa or job-related injury, get your health insurance through your job, through your work if you don't hit these benchmarks, guess what? you're going to lose fwraufered status. that's why the staggering numbers are 50 million to 100 million people because right now, mr. speaker, we provide about 160 million people in our country get insurance through their employment and their families system of that's what we're facing. we mentioned what the affordable care act promised it would do, and dr. gingrey pointed this out very well. pointed out it was promises that were made, universal

coverage, going to cover everybody, didn't do that. no new taxes on the middle class. boy, has that -- is that ever something that wasn't true. abule savings of $2,500. we've heard the president say that on numerous occasions. that's not true. no increase in the deficit. we already know that this bill is going to cost some two or three times what it was purported to cost. and i think the most famous one we've all heard now enough times, you like your doctor you can keep it. if you like your health insurance plan you can keep it. not true. we were tasked on the republican study committee, health committee, to come up with a market-centered approach to health care, which would include no new taxes, no mandate, maintaining the doctor-patient relationship. it's a short bill of 180 pages. it's been reviewed back during the bush administration to increase by nine million to 11 million people who would have health insurance and we think far more than that and there

are six titles to this bill, very simple to understand, one is to overturn the affordable care act. that's number one. number two, equalize the tax treatment between an individual and company. what does that mean? i'll use myself as an example. when i worked for my medical group my health insurance was deductible. i retired from that group to run for wonk congress, when i had to then buy health insurance, i had to pay first dollar, couldn't deduct it this simply says you can deduct your health insurance expenses just like a huge company like dow chemical can do. it treats you the same. that was a mistake made 60 years ago in the tax law that we correct. we massively expand health savings accounts. we use health savings account. what is that? you put pretax dollars away in your account, and if you don't spend them on health care, you ketoget to keep them. i use myself as an example

again. we had a health savings account for two years, we started seven years ago, i still have $6,000 in that account i can use for preventive services, buying prescription drugs, lots of thing thinks insurance opportunity cover. if it's above a $5,000 deductible mitigating circumstance insurance is 100%, covers all the costs. guess who would have had that $6,000 if i didn't have it? the insurance company would have had it as a profit this allows you and your doctor to make those decisions. we expand those to veterans, seniors. we do medical liability reform. dr. gingrey has a wonderful bill we do that for. we also allow you to buy across state lines. it's the only insurance you cannot purchase is health insurance across state lines. you can buy life, fire, i personally have never seen an insurance agent, i've always used the web and bought my insurance across state lines. you can to that and form association health plans, let's say large church groups want to

get together, instead of small churches with one pastor or two, you can join with larger churches and groups across maybe an entire region of the country and get thousands of people. that helps take care of pre-existing condition well, also have a high-risk pool for pre-existing conditions and lastly there's no funding for abortion services system of a very simple bill. it's patient-centered, market-oriented and it will work. mr. speaker, i would now like to yield back to my friend, dr. gingrey. mr. gingrey: mr. speaker, i thank the gentleman from tennessee for being with us during this hour. and i want to hold up this card so our colleagues can see, this basically is the bill that dr. roe, representative roe of tennessee, is the author of this bill and i'm a proud co-sponsor. it's called the american health care reform act. the american health care reform act.

and dr. roe described many of 0, i pects of this 18 think, page bill. as he points out, first and foremost, and i said this earlier, mr. speaker. this bill, the american health care reform act, a republican alternative, we do have alternatives, first and foremost, fully repeals the president's health care law. obamacare. it ends billions in taxes, it eliminates thousands of pages of unworkable mandates and regulations that literally, and i'm not kidding you, are eight feet high. i'm not barely six feet tall so that -- just imagine that. enforcing million -- and forcing millions of americans to lose access to health plans and get federal bureaucrats like i.r.s. agents out of health care decisions. what do they know about

doctor-patient relationships? they don't know a thing about that. and of course as dr. roe said, there's just seven bullet points on here, but they good, commonsense, market-driven reforms like he talked about tax reform that allows families to deduct health care costs if they're a sole proprietor, a craftsman that makes furniture in his or her basement and maybe it's a husband and wife team, they don't -- they don't get this break on their health insurance that doctor roe said was kind of artificially created back in world war ii, back in 1942 or 1943, when wage and price "criminal minds" -- controls were put in place and companies, big companies, couldn't attract new workers because they couldn't pay them enough, they couldn't give them

a decent raise so they started providing free health care. gu the individual didn't get that break. that's just one of the seven and i won't read all of them because we've been joined also by a great member of the house g.o.p. doctors caucus, the gentlewoman from north carolina , her shuzz a general surgeon, she is a surgical nurse, before congress, and as i say, a member of the house g.o.p. doctors caucus. she knows of what she speaks. i yield to representative renee ellmers. mrs. ellmers: thank you for this opportunity to speak here with the doctors caucus on these very important issues. you were bringing up a very important piece to this puzzle. as far as the american people are concerned with their health care. they want washington bureaucrats out from the

examining room between them and their doctor. you know, patients want to be able to have that relationship with their doctor and you know what, i'm sorry. if anything has played out over the very short period of time since october 1 with the failure of the website rollout, we've seen that washington has absolutely no business in health care. and this is only going to continue to play out and i just want to take a few moments and speak on some of the issues that continue to remain in these failures of the website. i know that the administration, i think we spent over $630 million with 50 contractors, fixing this website this website that we have been promised for so long was going to be ready, online, on time, working great for the american people and we know that that's simply not the keas. once again the tip of the

iceberg when it comes to the failures that we will learn about into the future on health care. you know, i'm here to talk about how this is affecting american families and those who are reaching out to me in my district, the second district of north carolina. you know, obamacare is tushing the budget upside down and inflicting unnecessary pain on millions of americans. millions of americans now have learned that their health care policies have been canceled and it clearly states, due to the affordable care act. nationwide, women in this country make the health care decisions. over 0% of the health care decisions that are made are made by women. that means that wives, mothers, single women, choosing health care coverage for themselves, have now been told by the president and the democrats that voted for this bill and knew full bell that you wouldn't be able to keep your health care plan if you liked it, now they're being told, you

know what? what you those for you, your family, what was affordable to you, is not adequate and we know better than you do for your family. i think that is an incredible problem that has been overlooked by this administration and our democrat friends. how many times do we hear that republicans don't understand women's issues? how many times do we hear about the war on women, that has continued to be displayed by our friends across the aisle. this is truly the war on women. taking away health care coverage from millions of women in this country is truly the war on women. that's why we as republicans have been working so hard to do everything we can to stop this process of obamacare moving forward. yes we have voted over and over again to repeal it and for good reason. and we're seeing how it's being

played out now. for these very reasons. this is not patient-centered reform. this is not about good patient care. this is not only going to completely and totally, disastrously affect the health care coverage in this country, but also health care itself because as you know, one plays into the other. i'm worried about what's going to happen to our physicians over time. we know that that part of the website hasn't even been built yet. when physicians aren't even sure what they're going to be paid, when patients aren't even sure what coverage they will be able to receive and what treatments they'll be able to receive, which doctors they'll be able to go to, think about the women in this country the moms, who are going to find out over the next couple of months that the media -- pediatrician they have come to know and trust, they are no longer able to bring their children to. think about our parents, the seniors who are receiving

treatment right now at different hospital systems, in different health care systems, that are going to find out they can no longer receive their treatment there because the networks have been narrowed so incredibly. this is what's going to play out over the next couple of months. you know, on the front page of today's "washington post" it reads, healthcare.gov makes frequent enrollment errors. right there. you know, after, again, all the millions of dollars that are been spent and we still have errors. this isn't what we've come to know in america. you know, we know that 3-year-old children can get online and get on their ipads and go to town and understand computer systems and what not and we can't even build a website that will allow patients in this country, families in this country to navigate to get basic health care coverage? that's a problem. . that's why the federal

government should not be in health care. that's why government bureaucrats should not be standing in between patients and their doctors. this comes only days after the obama administration claimed victory for fixing the disaster-prone website and rebranding the error messages that continue to pop up as a queuing system. since day one obamacare has been complete -- has been a complete disaster and is only getting worse. as "the washington post" points out, those who have enrolled through the online marketplace may soon discover that their application contains errors. these errors have been generated by the computer system, which means even they were one of the few to successfully enroll, they can still find themselves without coverage over the next few months. there again, think about what's going to happen january 1. when there are patients that think they have health care coverage and they're going to go to the doctor, only to find out that they're not even within the system.

those failures include the notification of insurers about new customers, duplicative enrollment and cancellations, and it's incorrect information about family members. and mistakes involving federal subsidies. i thank my dear colleague for, again, allowing us to speak out on these issues, because it cannot be stated enough how important it is that we be pointing out the inefficiencies that are created with obamacare. the affordable care act. which we all know now is completely and totally unaffordable. thank you. mr. gingrey: mr. speaker, i thank the gentlelady from north carolina and now it's my pleasure to yield time to the gentleman from indiana, representative and dr. larry bucshon, a surgeon, and also a member of the house g.o.p. doctor's caucus and i yield time to dr. bucshon. mr. bucshon: thank you, dr.

gingrey, and thanks again for having this time, for the doctor's caucus to talk about health care reform. what i want to focus on in my brief time is the republican alternatives that week of had all along -- that we've had all along. when the affordable care act was brought to the floor, there was only one amendment allowed and that was the motion to recommit amendment and guess what? the republicans had an alternative health care plan which we put forth. since that time, we've had multiple plans, almost 200 other proposals, from republicans, to reform the health care system in a patient-centered way and as a physician that's what we want. we want this to be focused around the patient, not around washington bureaucrats, not around decisions made here in washington, but we want patients to have access to quality, affordable care, and we want everyone to have that, just like the democrats say that they do. even though with their plan,

the affordable care act in 2023, the c.b.o. says 31 million people will still be uninsured. which is a fact that not a lot of people are looking at in the media at this point. but we've had all kinds of alternatives. dr. tom price had a bill he's put up many times, h.r. 2300, in this congress. the republicans study committee in this congress led by dr. roe has a very good health care reform proposal. and again, along with almost 200 other proposals to reform health care. so i wanted to dispel this myth that republicans don't have alternatives to a near government takeover of the health care system. as congressman ellmers just stated, that's the plan here. the plan is to have the government nearly control the system and we can't have the government in health care. because it doesn't work. and we're finding that out now, with what's happening with the affordable care act. access is actually going to be

inhibited by the affordable care act. in some states, 80%, 90% of the people signing up for the affordable care act are in the medicaid program, a program already underfunded, a program already that's poor insurance, that limits the very access to charlte -- health care that we're all fighting for. the exchanges which are going to be overly costly. look at the deductibles you're seeing. look at the price you're seeing across the country. again, over five million people had health care that they liked. but they've lost it. we may see 50 million people or so next year when the delayed employer mandate comes into place, that was unilaterally delayed by the administration. i would argue, against thelife congress, because it was in the law -- against the will of congress because it was in the law and is in the law.

i want to focus on the fact that republicans have alternatives. the g.o.p. doctor's caucus has been involved in all of these and i don't recall that you probably can tell me where you consulted in 2009 the doctors in congress when the health care law was passed. and from what everybody tells me, no. the answer to that question is no. if you were going to talk to anyone about what might be good health care reform, wunalt you think you would actually consult with people -- wouldn't you think that you would actually consult with people who had been in the field practicing medicine for years? the doctors, the nurses, the other health care providers, in congress? that could give you that firsthand experience, that they've had in the health care system. as part of the equation, if you're going to do this right. so, again, republicans are for patient-centered health care reform. we realize that people were uninsured. we realize that the cost is too high. we want to bend the cost curve,

get people insured by getting the cost of health care down and making sure that all of our patients have access to quality, affordable health care in a timely manner, without washington, d.c., government bureaucrats telling them what is a good policy, what's a bad policy, and i will argue in the future, telling them what's good health care and what isn't. with that, dr. gingrey, i yield back. mr. gingrey: mr. speaker, i thank dr. bucshon, the gentleman from indiana, for those remarks. i want to read a little bit from one chapter in sally pipe's book, "the top 10 myths of american health care" and the title of this chapter, mr. speaker, and real quickly, "solutions, markets, consumer choice and innovation." and really that's what dr. roe's bill is all about. the american health care reform

act. and listen to this. listen to what sally pipe says. none of the proceeding chapters is meant to suggest that america's health care system is perfect. it's not. costs are high, and too many americans get left behind. reform is needed. of the health care system requires less government interference, not more. only with a freer market can we lower cost and achieve quality, universal health care. if we have universal choice in health care, we will reach niversal coverage and that's a goal that's supported by all of us, republicans and democrats. consider this. colleagues, mr. speaker, i know you're familiar with lacic corrective eye surgery. because most insurance providers, including government programs, won't cover the procedure. the market isn't distorted by excessive regulations.

providers operate in a free market where technology is constantly advancing, price competition is fierce and the consumer is the king. companies rise and fall according to their ability to provide customer satisfaction. in the past decade, more than three million lasiks procedures have been performed. during that time the average price of eye surgery has dropped nearly 40% from $2,200 per eye to $1,350 per eye. unfortunately lasiks is a rare exception to the general rule. in just about every other area of health care, the government is heavily, heavily involved. so the key to lowering costs and expanding coverage is to expand the lasiks model and that means encouraging competition by decreasing government's role in the health care marketplace, not increasing it. and again she goes on to

mention many of these bullet points in dr. roe's bill, the american health care reform act, a better way. indeed a better way. and at this point i've just got a few more minutes remaining and i want to yield back to dr. roe. mr. roe: just a couple points i'd like to make. one, this bill is not perfect. and it is open for amendment as opposed to the affordable care act that was not open for amendment. as i recall, you and i were both here then, that was my first term, when we had that debate, some 80 amendments were brought to the rules committee here and none of them, none, zero, was ruled germane to the bill. as dr. bucshon was speaking, there were nine of us physicians in the doctor's caucus five years ago. not one of us was consulted about the health care bill. really rather astonishing i thought. and to congresswoman ellmers, she made a point a minute ago and wasn't as passionate about it as i am. i think one of the most arrogant things i have heard

stated in this town was that what you have bought that you like is no good. i still find that amazing that somebody, a talking head could be on television and say with a straight face, not knowing what i purchased, that i'm perfectly happy with, that it's no good. that is beyond arrogance. and we've heard people over and over in this town say that very thing. nd that's why people are turning against this. when you tell me what i've sat down with my family and worked out what i can buy and it seems to work for me just fine, that it's no good, that i know what's better because i've got it right here that you have to buy, that is the hithe of arrogance -- height of arrogance and i was just a little more passionate about it. mr. gingrey: reclaiming my time and yielding it back to representative ellmers, let'slary for passion from the gentlewoman from -- let's hear more passion from the gentlewoman from north

carolina. mrs. ellmers: i thank my kind colleagues. dr. roe you, you hit on one of the very important parts, again, which is, if you have had something that works for you, if a mom was buying health care coverage for her family, she was the one that did the research, she was the one that did the time, she picked the appropriate plan. you know, maybe it was offered through an employer, maybe it was an individual plan. but she sat down at her kitchen table and decided what was working for her. and guess what? now the obama administration says, no, you know, and i agree. some of the talking heads that are out there, you know, on the 24-hour news cycles, telling everyone that these plans were subpar, that they weren't adequate. and the constituents who are reaching out to me are saying, i liked my plan. you know, i was having my hair done the other day and my hair stylist, cindy, and her

husband, lee, they have a health care plan. she said, renee, i don't understand this. i had a health care plan that lee and i picked, we have had this plan, we like our plan, it's affordable to us, it's providing the health care coverage that we need, and now i'm being told that it's not adequate and the cost of my premiums every month are going to go up and my deductible is going up. for what? well, i will point out to you, one of the issues, you know, one of the flaws of the obama administration and our president himself has made over time is saying that, as people learn about this thing, because if you remember, when it was passed, and you were here, you both were here, they said, oh, let's just get it passed and then we're all going to find out what's in it, you know, some of our esteemed colleagues across the aisle had made those comments. and you know what, now, when the american people are finding out what's in it, they don't like it. things are changing.

they're finding out what's in it and they don't like it and they're rejecting it. one of the reasons that those costs have gone up are the essential health benefits that have to be covered. for every american there are 10 essential health benefits. my friend cindy, she and her husband do not have children. and yet they are forced to purchase maternity coverage. they are forced to purchase pediatric coverage. now, these are wonderful things for families, young families, growing families, but they're not appropriate for every american. so what is lacking here in obamacare is choice. the ability to choose your plan. i'm all for getting health care coverage for every american. i want every american to be able to have affordable health care coverage. but you can't do it by forcing individuals to buy something that they will never use, they will never need, paying a premium price and cost out of pocket. i'm sorry. it's just not affordable for american families. mr. gingrey: reclaiming my

time. as we draw to a close, you know, i said earlier, 61% of the american people are opposed even today 3 1/2 years after passage of this law and they can't even get on the website. they can't get signed up. wait until they get signed up and they find out what's they're going to have to pay and the amount of deductible and i guess i would call that sticker shock. i think instead of 61% it will be 80% opposed to it and i yield back to the gentleman from tennessee. . mr. roe: i tried today for the sixth time to get signed up and i couldn't. so i'm going back on thursday for the seventh time. i yield back. mr. gingrey: reclaiming the time as we close. i tried to get on today, couldn't, got the error message, i didn't even get put in the queue to make it softer. no, i got the error message, got kicked offline. monday, monday is the last day. so i'm going back to my office

after we complete this and try to get on once again and so, i mean, i'm really feeling for the patient the senior the american people that are really in one heck of a mess because of this -- not well thought out, rushed bill that was totally partisan. you just can't do that in this congress with a bill this important. we're talking about human lives here. life and death. and that's not the way to do it. but we will come back with a solution and i hope we will do that in a bipartisan way. i love the american health care reform act. i am a co-sponsor and with that, mr. speaker, we yield the balance of our time. thank you. the chair: the -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, for 30 minutes. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. all house notice, member briefing, it says, colon, iran, wednesday, december 4. 9:00 a.m. the briefing team, at the top of the list, ambassador wendy sherman, undersecretary of

political affairs, so that was thrilling. i recognize that name. wendy sherman who is going to give the house a briefing in the morning at 9:00 a.m. on how good things have gone in the dealings with iran. as the "wall street journal" article from november 20 points out, the clinton administration's policy coordinator for north america, wendy sherman, is now the obama administration's lead egotiator for the iran nuclear talks. in a 2001 "new york times" op-ed, ms. sherman urged president bush to cut a deal, writing that kim jong il, quote, appears ready to make landmark commitments because to

ensure the survival of his regime, he has to improve the country's disastrous economy by reducing the burden of a vast missile program and opening the doors to trade. well, ms. sherman was wrong about that inner op-ed she wrote in 2001. kim jong il needed to help his economy, right about that, but she thought it meant that he was ready to get rid of his ballistic missile program and open the doors more to trade. certainly they were willing to open the doors to trade but just as she had been wrong in 1994, when she helped the clinton administration work out an amazing deal with north recap the highlights

, that deal with north korea they were believed to be pursues nuclear weapons so ms. sherman was the policy coordinator for north korea volved in this process, she, madeleine albright, president clinton thought what a great thing, we will give you nuclear reactors, nuclear power plants, in you some fuel, and return, you have to renounce nuclear weapons and you have to promise not to pursue nuclear weapons. wow. oh, there was one other thing. the clinton administration, wendy sherman, madeleine albrigget -- albright agreed to

a provision that would have prevented them, did prevent them from inspecting the north korean nuclear facilities for at least five or so years. which ended up being enough time for them to pursue their nuclear weapons. mean, for president clinton, madeleine albright, wendy sherman, kind of remind me of the repossession guy that jeff foxworthy talked about, coming to his house when he was 4, telling him he hadn't -- when he was poor telling him he hadn't made his payment in months so he had to take the car. foxworthy begged him not to take the car, he's got to have it to get back on his feet to make a living. the guy said, i have to leave either with a car or cash or a check to which foxworthy said he replied, you'll take a check?

why didn't you say you'll take a check. sure, i can write you a check. that's what the north koreans did. oh, you mean in return for new, sophisticated nuclear power plants and fuel, you'll take just a promise from us that we won't pursue nuclear weapons? why didn't you say that? sure, we'll promise anything you want in return for nuclear weapon fuel and nuclear power plants that we can use for our own benefit. sure, we'll make those promises. any other promises you want? i mean, how gullible does the administration have to be to from a that a promise basing ime is worth the future safety of your citizens upon? well, we don't have an answer to how gullible you have to be

because this administration is now doing the same thing. wasn't enough that wendy sherman was wrong in 1994, that she was wrong in 2001 in her op-ed, now she's the lead negotiator with iran and she's going to brief memberings of the house here tomorrow. -- members of the house here tomorrow. how gullible are we? there's no requirement that we have to be as gullible as this administration. i mean, sure, maybe you believe the administration when they say, if you like your insurance, you can keep it. maybe you believe that administration when they say, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, period. maybe the house is gullible enough or maybe the majority at one time was gullible enough to believe that and did. in fact, people in this room actually repeated those promises, making them themselves.

but how many times do you have to be shown that people making the promises are wrong before you get skeptical? and now on top of all the broken promises about obamacare, we have an administration promising us that we can trust iran, that we made a great deal. they've made us some promises just like north korea did. and we know we can trust them. because the only thing at stake is the existence of the nation of israel and the existence of the united states without nuclear weapons going off in it, that's all that's at stake. or perhaps an effort m.p. -- an e.m.p. caused by a nuclear

weapon shot off from an intercontinental ballistic missile. doesn't even have to be that accurate. if it goes off near the middle of the united states, certain range of elevation, then it will fry most every computer chip and we're going to be in trouble. grocery stores can't operate appropriately without their computer systems, wal-mart, all kinds of places won't be able to operate appropriately. most everybody's cars now rely on computer chips. our military is very reliant on computer chips. and yet this administration says now iran is somebody we can trust. i keep coming back to what some allied leaders said back in september in the mideast, do you guys not realize that you're now helping the people that attacked you, the organization that attacked you

on 9/11? make up the taliban, muslim brotherhood background, al qaeda, muzzlum brotherhood background, i mean, what do you not realize that allows you to now help the people you're at war with, or supposed to be at war with? i say the word war and then of course this administration has made clearing we're not at war with anybody. according to this dministration, we are trying to counter violent extremism but we don't talk about terrorism, we don't talk about radical islam, we've stripped that from our training manuals because it may offend and does offend radical islamists that want to destroy and kill us. so we don't want to do anything that might offend the people that want to kill us. there was a time in this ountry when if another group